Photo: Skoda
Remember the rumors about Skoda pondering a vRS version of the Superb? There were also rumors about a performance SUV based on the Kodiaq. It appears there was more than just hearsay, and a Skoda official has clarified the situation.
Skoda wants to make a vRS version of the Kodiaq, its biggest SUV, but the model does not have a launch date that can be revealed to the public. The performance version of the Kodiaq will share a 2.0-liter TDI twin-turbo engine with the Tiguan, which is something that the brand official confirmed.
Meanwhile, the Superb, Skoda’s mid-sized model, will not get a performance version soon. In fact, the Superb vRS might not happen at all, but it still has a shot at production in the future because it was put on hold.
In an interview with the Brits at Evo, the boss of Skoda’s Research and Development division, Christian Strube, has revealed that the Czech brand has no plans of launching vRS models smaller than the Octavia. The disclosure came during the press launch of the facelifted Octavia, which does have a performance version named vRS, and you can have it with a diesel or a gasoline engine, and two body styles: sedan or estate.
However, smaller models from Skoda, like the Fabia subcompact hatchback, the Citigo, or whatever else will be launched under the Octavia size-wise, will not get the vRS treatment. Until the launch of the ongoing Fabia, Skoda used to have a vRS version of that model, but it was lagging in sales.
Apparently, Skoda found that there is no business case for performance versions of smaller cars, so its leaders decided against any project of that kind. In a way, it makes sense, because those performance models yield low sales volumes, but the automaker has to spend money on development, marketing, and homologation.
If those problems were not enough, those models could not be sold at a price that will justify the expenses described above while also being attractive to customers.
Meanwhile, the Superb, Skoda’s mid-sized model, will not get a performance version soon. In fact, the Superb vRS might not happen at all, but it still has a shot at production in the future because it was put on hold.
In an interview with the Brits at Evo, the boss of Skoda’s Research and Development division, Christian Strube, has revealed that the Czech brand has no plans of launching vRS models smaller than the Octavia. The disclosure came during the press launch of the facelifted Octavia, which does have a performance version named vRS, and you can have it with a diesel or a gasoline engine, and two body styles: sedan or estate.
However, smaller models from Skoda, like the Fabia subcompact hatchback, the Citigo, or whatever else will be launched under the Octavia size-wise, will not get the vRS treatment. Until the launch of the ongoing Fabia, Skoda used to have a vRS version of that model, but it was lagging in sales.
Apparently, Skoda found that there is no business case for performance versions of smaller cars, so its leaders decided against any project of that kind. In a way, it makes sense, because those performance models yield low sales volumes, but the automaker has to spend money on development, marketing, and homologation.
If those problems were not enough, those models could not be sold at a price that will justify the expenses described above while also being attractive to customers.
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