Photo: Skoda
In the era of the Internet, false rumors spread much faster than the truth. No, the Chinese zoo did not name its gorilla Harambe McHarambeface, and Skoda isn't going to get rid of the RS / vRS performance division.
Skoda's new CEO Bernhard Maier recently did an interview with Autocar magazine and his words might have been taken out of context. We're not going to try and paint an entirely opposite picture here, but it sounds like he was asked about a possible Kodiaq RS and he just wanted to talk about something different and less speculative.
This is where Herr Maier stands: “Theoretically, there are no barriers to any kinds of derivatives, but it is a question of demand. We have had a wonderful experience with trim upgrades, so I expect to do them again.”
So instead of doing fast cars for the sake of it, the company will look more into the Monte Carlo, Laurent & Klement, and Sportsline styling packs. That's totally understandable, considering the Kodiaq was never designed to compete on the track.
But many publications have run with the idea that the vRS brand might be discontinued, partly because Autocar used "under threat" in its title. Sure, Skoda might not make any more performance models, but it has no reason to make any less either.
I don't have the accurate sales data available right now, but the vRS represents over a third of all Octavia sales in Britain, which is huge. There are other markets too, like Germany, or Poland, where the Octavia is the best-selling car overall and the RS is worshiped.
Profit? Most Octavia RS models selling in Germany cost over €40,000, making this the only Skoda that keeps the BMW 3 Series at bay. People don't just buy it for speed. There's the independent rear suspension, the soundaktor, the variable steering and the body kit.
Sure, there might not be a Superb RS model either, but there could be one based on the Fabia eventually. The current generation looks sharp and is 9cm wider, so it's the perfect candidate for a hot hatch version. It might even work with the 2.0 TDI, which people have been begging for since the end of the 1.9 TDI pocket rocket era.
This is where Herr Maier stands: “Theoretically, there are no barriers to any kinds of derivatives, but it is a question of demand. We have had a wonderful experience with trim upgrades, so I expect to do them again.”
So instead of doing fast cars for the sake of it, the company will look more into the Monte Carlo, Laurent & Klement, and Sportsline styling packs. That's totally understandable, considering the Kodiaq was never designed to compete on the track.
But many publications have run with the idea that the vRS brand might be discontinued, partly because Autocar used "under threat" in its title. Sure, Skoda might not make any more performance models, but it has no reason to make any less either.
I don't have the accurate sales data available right now, but the vRS represents over a third of all Octavia sales in Britain, which is huge. There are other markets too, like Germany, or Poland, where the Octavia is the best-selling car overall and the RS is worshiped.
Profit? Most Octavia RS models selling in Germany cost over €40,000, making this the only Skoda that keeps the BMW 3 Series at bay. People don't just buy it for speed. There's the independent rear suspension, the soundaktor, the variable steering and the body kit.
Sure, there might not be a Superb RS model either, but there could be one based on the Fabia eventually. The current generation looks sharp and is 9cm wider, so it's the perfect candidate for a hot hatch version. It might even work with the 2.0 TDI, which people have been begging for since the end of the 1.9 TDI pocket rocket era.
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