Earlier this year, Czech automaker Skoda announced that it’d launch 30 new or redesigned models by 2022. The smallest of the lot is the Fabia, which has been recently spied in the Alps hiding under Volkswagen Polo sheet metal.
Skoda rolled out the third generation of the B-segment hatchback and station wagon in 2015, and even though in-group siblings feature the MQB A0 platform, the Fabia still utilizes an older vehicle architecture – the A06. It’s high time for the supermini to step up its game, and the inevitable will happen by the end of 2021.
Along with new bones, Skoda is set to work its magic on the exterior design because the Fabia needs to stand a chance against the increasing popularity of small crossovers. Photoshop meister Kleber Silva has imagined the fourth generation with a bit of Scala up front and at the rear, the Czech automaker’s new corporate grille, and two-tone alloy wheels that contrast beautifully with the body color.
The real deal will undoubtedly borrow Scala styling as well, and the interior will also go through a number of well-deserved changes. Don’t expect a revolution, though, but an evolution consisting of more touch-sensitive controls, slightly better quality for the interior materials, as well as better fit and finish.
Don’t, however, think that Skoda will deliver a better car than the Polo in terms of perceived quality. The Volkswagen Group wouldn’t allow it, and frankly, differentiation is what makes the world’s largest manufacturer so successful despite so many badge-engineered vehicles. In this segment, for example, the SEAT Ibiza, Fabia, and Polo all fight for the same customers at different price points but with slight variations in terms of standard equipment, cargo capacity, and so on.
Being based on the MQB A0 modular platform, the newcomer is certain to feature 1.0-liter aspirated and turbocharged engines and at least one more option in the guise of the 1.5-liter TSI. We don’t know if the 1.6-liter TDI makes any sense going forward into the 2020s in the Old Continent, but that’s not the only mystery.
In order to meet the ever-stringent emissions regulation in the European Union, the Fabia may go mild hybrid in order to improve efficiency. A plug-in hybrid seems unlikely because of the high costs associated with this powertrain’s complexity, and an EV is out of the question. According to former chief exec Herbert Diess, the MEB platform will be adapted for small e-cars in the nearest of futures.
Along with new bones, Skoda is set to work its magic on the exterior design because the Fabia needs to stand a chance against the increasing popularity of small crossovers. Photoshop meister Kleber Silva has imagined the fourth generation with a bit of Scala up front and at the rear, the Czech automaker’s new corporate grille, and two-tone alloy wheels that contrast beautifully with the body color.
The real deal will undoubtedly borrow Scala styling as well, and the interior will also go through a number of well-deserved changes. Don’t expect a revolution, though, but an evolution consisting of more touch-sensitive controls, slightly better quality for the interior materials, as well as better fit and finish.
Don’t, however, think that Skoda will deliver a better car than the Polo in terms of perceived quality. The Volkswagen Group wouldn’t allow it, and frankly, differentiation is what makes the world’s largest manufacturer so successful despite so many badge-engineered vehicles. In this segment, for example, the SEAT Ibiza, Fabia, and Polo all fight for the same customers at different price points but with slight variations in terms of standard equipment, cargo capacity, and so on.
Being based on the MQB A0 modular platform, the newcomer is certain to feature 1.0-liter aspirated and turbocharged engines and at least one more option in the guise of the 1.5-liter TSI. We don’t know if the 1.6-liter TDI makes any sense going forward into the 2020s in the Old Continent, but that’s not the only mystery.
In order to meet the ever-stringent emissions regulation in the European Union, the Fabia may go mild hybrid in order to improve efficiency. A plug-in hybrid seems unlikely because of the high costs associated with this powertrain’s complexity, and an EV is out of the question. According to former chief exec Herbert Diess, the MEB platform will be adapted for small e-cars in the nearest of futures.