Skoda, the Czech car company which is part of the Volkswagen Group, has been around since 1895 and over the many decades, it has ensured that the spark of creativity is maintained as different generations of employees come and go. One of the ways it has achieved this is through the Skoda Vocational School which was established in 1927 because of the need for qualified workers.
Each year for the past seven years, the students have been invited to come up with a concept car and for this year, the seventh Skoda Student Concept Car is one which links the past with the present. Designed by 31 students attending the vocational school, the open-top Slavia also concept pays homage to this year’s anniversary of the company by commemorating the name of the first bicycles produced by Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement after they founded the company in 1895.
The spider variant of the Scala production model combines the contemporary compact car’s bold and exciting lines with a common design standard from the earliest days of motoring, when most automobiles were open-top vehicles.
The Scala, from which the Slavia concept has been adapted.The students also took inspiration from the 1957 Skoda 1100 OHC, a sports prototype developed as an open-top two-seater racing car for endurance rallies.
From the first draft to putting together this one-off car, the students completed every step themselves. Of course, there was also guidance and support from their instructors as well as experts from Skoda’s Design, Production and Technical Development departments.
“The Student Car is the Skoda Vocational school’s annual flagship project. For the seventh year running, our students are demonstrating the high standard of our in-house training by planning, designing and building an impressive one-off car. We enable them to design their dream car, working with professionals from our various departments. As a result, their training already familiarises them with processes that will become part of their working lives later on, when they graduate from our vocational school and embark on a career in our company,” explained Alois Kauer, who took over as Head of the Skoda Academy in February 2020.
The students designed the Slavia and then built it themselves as a project car.
The 31 students involved in the seventh Skoda Student Car marks the first time the project participants have chosen the Scala as the basis for their personal idea of a dream car, turning the compact hatchback model into a particularly sporty spider. The Slavia, as in the production version of the Scala, has a similarly distinctive design, defined by precise lines and sculpted surfaces.
The matching dynamic performance of the topless car comes courtesy of the familiar 1.5 TSI petrol engine with an output of 150 ps, which goes to the front wheels through a 7-speed DCT. Other carry-overs from the production model include the front and rear axle, steering, the complete electronics including cabling as well as the assistance systems. The instrument panel, Virtual Cockpit and infotainment system are also retained in their original form.
Whether the Slavia will serve as the basis of a future production model remains to be seen. But it is well known that the work of the students has always impressed the designers at Skoda and who knows, perhaps they will draw inspiration from it.
Skoda, the Czech carmaker has been training and developing talent for more than 90 years at its Vocational School in Mlada Boleslav. In the first year, 58 students began their training in three different specialist areas. Today, more than 900 students (13% female) are enrolled in 13 full-time courses and three postgraduate programmes at the Skoda Academy.
The quality of training will be put to the test in the seventh Skoda student concept car project. 20 students from the academy are involved in the ambitious project this year. They have decided to design and build an open-top Spider version of the new compact Scala model.
Watching and learning from the professionals
At a workshop in the Skoda Design department, the participants met the company’s Head Designer, Oliver Stefani, and put their first ideas down on paper with him and his team. The still-unnamed project car, which the students will be constructing according to the design, will be presented to the public in early June.
During the visit, they were allowed to watch Stefani and his team in their day-to-day work and to create their own drawings. “Despite the increasing use of computers and simulations, drawing is still an essential part of automotive designers’ work. With every stroke, an idea turns into something real. A sketch is the first of many steps on the long and exciting path to a new car,” explained Stefani.
Support from engineers
Throughout this project, the up-and-coming talent will receive support from engineers and experienced employees from the areas of technical development, design and production within the company. The apprentices have expressed a wish to make the car’s clear lines and emotive shapes more prominent in the spider version to emphasize the vehicle’s overall dynamics.
“From the beginning, all the participants showed great enthusiasm and determination. Their sketches are very impressive, I really like the concept,” said Jiri Hadascok, exterior design coordinator at Skoda, adding that the professionals were impressed with their enthusiasm and receptiveness.
The Scala model which the students’ concept car is adapted from.
Designing a concept vehicle and then building it by hand is the highlight of all apprenticeships. “We are all delighted to be part of this project. As a student, where else do you get the chance to put your own ideas and vision into designing a car and then actually build it yourself? Drawing our first sketches was lots of fun, and we learned a lot from Oliver Stefani and his team,” said one of the participants, Vojtech Spitalsky.
As part of the INDIA 2.0 project, Skoda Auto, the Czech subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, is leading the activities of the Group brands on the Indian sub-continent. Several cross-brand Skoda and Volkswagen models will be created based on the MQB A0 IN variant of the Modular Transverse Matrix, which the 125-year old carmaker is developing with a focus on India and Indian customers.
The new localised sub-compact platform is being showcased for the first time in the Skoda VISION IN concept model with two design sketches that show the exterior style of the VISION IN. The vehicle, which is approximately 4.26 metres long, have been serving as a study for a new compact SUV model developed especially for the Indian market.
The first design sketch shows the dynamic front which has a wide bonnet with a large Skoda grille incorporating solid ribs shapes the visual impression. The upper, very flat units of the split headlights progress directly to the grille. Beneath is a robustly designed front apron with large side air intakes and a massive front spoiler made of aluminium.
The second sketch illustrates a clearly structured, distinctive rear with sharply contoured, three-dimensional rear lights; an additional horizontal light strip connects the reflectors. Illuminated Skoda lettering is prominently positioned in the centre of the rear; an aluminium diffuser is integrated into the rear apron underneath.
Earlier, the interior was revealed in a sketch which showed a wide dashboard arranged on several levels, echoing the symmetrical contours of the Skoda grille in the centre. The colour orange, which inspires vitality and creativity, is used extensively throughout the interior, for example, on the centre armrest and door panels.
In addition to the large, free-standing central screen and virtual cockpit, a new crystalline element on the instrument panel creates an optical highlight. The three-spoke multifunction steering wheel features buttons and knurl wheels following Skoda’s new operating concept. The reduced and clearly structured centre console has a small control lever for gear selection.
When even the official local website for a bona-fide carmaker – not some fly-by-night kit-car – returns an Error 404 message, you just know something has gone terribly wrong, somewhere. And that’s a shame because I really like Skoda cars.
A Google search fares no better, the last search yielded an Autoworld(<–link) post from back in 2003, when a new Auto Praha showroom (below) opened in Bangsar, and its last Facebook update was in 2011. Auto Praha is (was?) the official importer, a company under the Berjaya Group, and the last vestiges of the Skoda brand can still be seen at the Bermaz Mazda HQ in Glenmarie, in addition to the odd smattering of actual Skoda cars.
Image courtesy of www.autoworld.com.my
It’s a shame really that the brand has been allowed to die a slow and painful death, the likes of which can be said about Alfa Romeo, Jeep, Chevrolet and to a point, even Opel here in Malaysia. The last two aforementioned brands are connected of course, and GM definitely made a mistake killing Opel in favour of Chevy, that much is widely whispered, even among GM management.
The last Skoda I personally reviewed was the Superb (above & below), and by all accounts it really did live-up to its nameplate. The Superb had a ‘dual’ boot, its rear-end could be used as a conventional boot, or transformed into a lift-back. It still remains one of the coolest cargo-carrying features I’ve ever come across.
It just wasn’t meant to be I guess, and thanks to AutoExpressUK, this might have been in the cards for us, had the brand survived, the Skoda Skala. This would have been a fun contender for the likes of the VW Golf, if only. – Chris Wee.
From AutoExpress:
The all-new Skoda Scala hatchback has arrived, sitting between the Fabia and Octavia in the Czech brand’s range
This is the all-new Skoda Scala, the Czech firm’s direct rival for the likes of the Volkswagen Golfand Ford Focus.It’s due on sale in 2019 priced from around £16,500.
The Scala is based on the smallest version of the VW Group’s MQB platform, called A0. That means it shares some mechanicals with models such as the SEAT Ibiza and Volkswagen Polo – but it’s considerably bigger than those machines. Indeed, at 4,362mm, the Scala is still over 10cm longer than a Golf – but a full 30cm shorter than the Octavia.
Buyers will have four engines to choose from at launch. The core of the line-up will be a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol motor, offered with either 94bhp or 114bhp. There is also a more powerful 148bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol unit, complete with cylinder deactivation to boost efficiency, as well as a 1.6-litre diesel delivering 114bhp.
The base petrol unit gets a five-speed manual gearbox; all of the other engines are offered with a six-speed transmission, along with the option of a seven-ratio dual-clutch automatic. For the FULL article, click here.
Wagons. Estates. Stationwagons. Touringwagen. Sportwagen. Shooting Brake.Sports Wagons. Call them what you will, but they have never been popular here in Malaysia, and that folks is a crying shame, because wagons are uber cool.
To make matters worse for the dwindling wagon market, Volvo Car Malaysia recently announced that they will cease offering the incredible V90 T5 & T6 R-Design wagons locally solely due to poor demand. As can be seen from this recent 0% GST news releasefrom VCM, all iterations of the V90 wagon are indeed already missing from their line-up…
This of course didn’t sit too well with many of us, seeing as how we (i.e. the Malaysian motoring media) absolutely adored the V90, to the point where when its wheels got stolen right-off the car at VCM’s own parking lot, many of us took it personally and proceeded to post notifications of the theft on our own personal social media pages (we were pissed!). For the record the wheels were never recovered and it cost VCM RM17k to replace them and subsequently de-fleet the said unit, so whoever you are (wheel thief and also buyer) I personally hope you rot in hell…
It’s the weirdest thing really; Malaysians won’t buy wagons new, but actively seek-out used ones voraciously. As such, a used Mercedes-Benz W124 wagon will typically cost at least three to four times more than its sedan counterpart in the second-hand car market, as would a Volvo 245, 850 T5 & 945 wagon, BMW E30, E34 & E39 wagon, etc. Even a Toyota KE70 wagon will cost at least three times more than a KE70 sedan. In fact any wagon from the same lineage will always cost more than its sedan counterpart, even a freaking Nissan Sunny. The Mercedes-Benz W123 wagon (below) now costs about seven times more than its sedan variant locally. No, really.
And that’s the greatest irony; if no one wants them in the first place when they’re new, how is it that they are able to command a much, much higher price in the used car market? They should be borderline un-sellable in the second-hand car market, since no one wants them even when they’re brand-spanking-new right? Speaking of brand new, here’s one that’s still available locally, the Mazda6 wagon…
Now tell me honestly that isn’t simply amazing looking. Look at the lines, simply gorgeous. Defy convention folks, thumb your nose at the norm, and buy a wagon, you won’t regret it. At the very least, you’ll know it’s going to be worth more in the second-hand market than its sedan sibling.
Now have a look at this video from Volvo and judge for yourself why wagons are so cool.
In addition to the Volvo V90 above, thanks to AutoExpressUK, here’s a look at some of the nicest, sportiest and most desirable wagons out there… but first, a bit more eye-candy on the Volvo V90, this time in the latest Cross-Country guise. And no, we won’t be getting it here… no demand, remember? – Chris Wee.
And now, the coolest wagons according to AutoExpressUK, starting with the…
Audi RS 4
Fans will moan about Audi replacing the 4.2-litre V8 engine used in the previous RS 4, with a less enjoyable 2.9-litre unit, but with 444bhp, 600Nm of torque and a top speed of 174mph (280kmh) in the new car, there are worse problems to have. The interior compliments a car that has a split personality between sensible and ludicrous, but lacks the sense of theatre that some of its rivals bring. At over £60,000 it is by no means cheap – not that that is untoward in present company.
Audi RS 6
The Audi RS 6 is one of the leading lights in the fast estate world. Partly thanks to its looks, but also helped a its 552bhp twin-turbocharged V8 which will rocket you and four other passengers from 0-100kmh in just 3.9 seconds, and on to a limited top speed of 155mph (250kmh). Prices start from just over £81,000, but for that you do get a comfortable, quiet cabin (most of the time) and 565-litres of boot capacity.
Ferrari GTC4Lusso
Some will argue the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso isn’t a ‘proper’ estate, but if you consider that it is just leaning a little harder on the left of the performance-practicality balance, it becomes easy to see why it made this list. The Ferrari has a 6.3-litre V12 under the bonnet which pumps out 681bhp and 697Nm of torque, which allows it to obliterate most of this list with a 0-100kmh time of 3.4 seconds and a claimed top speed of 208mph (335kmh).
Ford Focus ST
While the petrol version of the Focus ST wagon is a great fast estate, the 2.0 TDCi is our pick of the bunch. This is largely down to the delivery of the power, with the diesel’s get up and go being less unruly and easier to put down on UK roads, but that does not mean the diesel is a slouch – the performance stats of 182bhp, 400Nm of torque and a 0-100kmh time of 8.3secs proves as much. Add to this a claimed economy of 67.3mpg – high 40s low 50s are more realistic – and the diesel Focus ST estate becomes incredible alluring.
Mercedes-AMG C63
The Mercedes-AMG C63 is a full-blown muscle car. Under the bonnet is a 4.0-litre turbocharged V8 which produces a thunderous 469bhp and 650Nm of torque (increasing to 503bhp and 700Nm if you opt for the S model). S or not, both models feel astonishingly quick and of course offer impressive levels of practicality, with the only real issue for everyday use being the firm ride. The interior is a comfortable place to be, even if it is not quite on the same level as the E-Class.
Mercedes-AMG E63
You are going to need deep pockets to drive away in an E63 estate as they start north of £84,000 – which is slightly more expensive than the starting price of the Audi RS 6. That said, the E63 is one of the fastest cars on the road, never mind estates. The latest generation is all-wheel drive and in S guise packs 604bhp and 850Nm of torque. Plus, owners get a drift mode. From a standing start it will hit 100kmh in just 3.6 seconds and go on to a limited top speed of 155mph (250kmh) – these figures change to 3.5 seconds and 186mph (300kmh) in the S version.
Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo
The Porsche Panamera is no longer the ugly duckling it once was, and the Sport Turismo is no exception. If you go for the range-topping Turbo S E-Hybrid, flat out you will be doing 193mph (310kmh)and 0-100kmh is over in a meger 3.4 seconds – wiping the floor with all but the Ferrari on this list. Even if you drop down to the Panamera 4 Sport Turismo, the 6-cylinder turbocharged engine allows the big German to reach 160mph (257kmh)flat-out and sprint from rest to 100kmh in 5.5 seconds. While the performance is strong here, practicality is not. The rear is just about big enough to get two adults and a smaller human buckled in, and 520-litres of boot space is a tad underwhelming.
Volkswagen Golf R
The Golf R estate is related to both the Skoda and SEAT mentioned in the link below (but comes with four-wheel drive), and offers one of the finest all-round driving packages you can get for the money – the R starts at around £36k. Under the hood there is the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder producing 296bhp as found in the Leon, but here it is only available with VW’s seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox. The exhaust note sounds good with a nice deep burble, which helps keep up the fun even when you aren’t exploiting the strong chassis.
For the FULL article from AutoExpress, which features a few more estates from brands unavailable here, click this link.
Remember the Skodabrand? It used to be a lot more prominent in the country some time ago, but it seems to have faded into obscurity hasn’t it? Pity because I thought this Skoda Superb was, well, superb…
I do get a feeling though that the brand might be poised for a resurgence locally, especially with the likes of the new KaroqSUV (below) in the pipeline.
Globally, Skoda plans a “significant sales increase” by the year 2025, and this new Karoq is supposed to spearhead that charge, as it replaces the very popular (in Europe) Yeti mid-size SUV (below).
“Latest to arrive on the scene is the new Skoda Karoq, a model which has an integral role to play in the firm’s long-term plan to significantly increase sales by 2025. More than that, though, it has a hard act to follow, replacing the much-loved Yeti as the company’s contender in the mid-size SUV class.” – Auto Express.
Being away from your family can be tough, especially if it has been about a couple of years. Such is the case of an Australian expat named Robbie Smith, who left his home to seek better opportunities in the UK.
Home sick, Smith felt that though modern technology such as video chats and phone calls allowed him to connect with his family, he missed the physical contact. Upon hearing this, Skoda decided to step in an reconnect the Smith family in a very creative way.
The automaker released a video detailing the entire process of reuniting Smith and his immediate family. This short film portrays the planning that was done by the Skoda team, as well as the subtle hints that were left for the 32-year-old Australian while he was on his daily commute.
Though not jarring, they were obvious enough to pick up on, should you be paying attention. Smith, was completely oblivious of this and only came to the realization of what was actually going on when he approached a local cafe.
The clues that he missed included a graffiti mural of photos with his loved ones and an entire cinema decorated with posters of his life. He even walks past Skoda brand ambassador Sir Bradley Wiggins mistakenly thinking that he was a regular Londoner holding a newspaper.
In case you didn’t know, Sir Bradly Wiggins is a former British professional road and track cyclist who won several races including the Tour de France, in 2012. He competed in professional competitions between 2001 to 2016, and is a well-known celebrity in the UK.
Both shocked and delighted, Smith was over the moon to find out what Skoda had done just for him and that he got to be with his entire family for a signifcant amount of time. Speaking of this reunion, Smith said:
“I am still so shocked. I was just walking my normal route and had no idea that my family would be waiting for me at the end. I can’t believe all the clues I missed along the way; it wasn’t until I noticed the cinema posters and saw my face that I realised something wasn’t quite right.”
Skoda connected Smith and his family to celebrate the launch of its Kodiaq, the automaker’s first ever SUV. Built on Volkswagen’s MQB platform, the vehicle is closely related to the VW Tiguan and SEAT Ateca. A number of engine options have been made available with the vehicle including 3 petrol and 2 diesels.
Through this video, Skoda wants to inspire others to reconnect with what matters most to them with the launch of the Škoda Reconnect Fund ( www.skoda.co.uk/reconnect-me). The automaker will be facilitating the re-connection, big or small, of people and what they love to do including meeting an old friend by enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime experience together.
Today is a very important day for Škoda because it marks the production of the 1.5 millionth third generation Octavia. Based on the Volkswagen MQB platform, the car shares its underpinnings with the Audi A3 Mk3, SEAT Leon Mk3 and Volkswagen Golf Mk7.
“With the Octavia, the rapid development of our company really gathered pace from 1996,” said Michael Oeljeklaus, Board Member for Production and Logistics. “It has been an important pillar of the Škoda portfolio for over two decades. With the third generation of our bestseller, we have seamlessly built on the success story of the first two editions. Much of the credit for the success of the OCTAVIA and the Škoda brand goes to our motivated and highly skilled workforce, which now has 1.5 million reasons to be proud of its achievements.”
The first generation car was a stalwart of the Škoda line-up from 1996 to 2010 bringing in a total sales of 1.4 million cars. The Czech automaker launched the second generation car in 2004 but sold the original alongside it till 2010. And, by the time the mk2 car had been phased out in 2013, Škoda had accumulated a total sales figure of 2.5 million vehicles sold. Its successor joined the line-up in 2012 and by the end of 2016, almost 1.4 million vehicles were produced.
The facelifted version started rolling off the production line in February of this year and is manufactured in the Czech Republic, China, India, Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. It is being offered as a hatchback and an estate version. The front and rear sections of the facelifted car differ from that of the pre-facelift version, which gives rise to a wider track and a more streamlined body.
The new car brings with it a number of improvements in terms of interior space, functionality, technology for safety and comfort as well as value for money. Power outputs of the petrol and diesel engines range from 85bhp to nearly 245bhp and some of these can be ordered with a DSG gearbox and all-wheel drive.
In total, Škoda has sold more than 5 million Octavia vehicles since the launch of the original car in 1996 and it hopes that those numbers will continue to grow larger as the years pass.
Skoda will be introducing the new Karoq to the European market soon. The design has changed somewhat but its fairly larger than the vehicle it replaces. The compact SUV measures 4,382 mm in length, 1,841 mm wide, and 1,605 mm high.
The vehicle has a wheelbase of 2,638 mm or 2,630 mm for the all-wheel-drive (AWD) version. Thanks to the increase in size, passengers now have 68 mm more legroom than before. When the back seats are fully upright, the luggage compartment offers 521 litres of space but that increases to 1,630 mm when the rear seats are folded down. If the need arises, the rear seats can be completely removed to offer more cargo space, turning the SUV into an MPV with a maximum capacity of 1,810 litres.
Inside, the vehicle gets a state of the art kit that include interfaces with capacitive touch displays, WLAN hotspot capabilities, optional LTE module, infotainment and navigation system as well as the CareConnect services. You can even pair your smartphone with the infotainment system by using the SmartLink+ platform which is compatible with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink.
As far as safety is concerned, the Karoq comes equipped with a whole host of tech that include Parking Assistant, Lane Assist, Blind Spot Detect, Front Assist with predictive pedestrian protection and Emergency Assistant that help improve safety. When hitched to a trailer, the Karoq can tow a payload of up to 2 tonnes and with the new trailer assistant, the system helps guide drivers while maneuvering and when reversing slowly.
Though the exact contours of the vehicle have yet to be revealed, Skoda syas that it is fitted with full LED headlights with clear-lens optics (optional) , the interior features LED ambient lighting and decor strips on the doors. The dashboard lighting can be set to one of ten different colours depending on what your prefer.
As of now, Skoda is offering the vehicle with four engine choices, two petrol and two diesel ones. The capacities are 1.0, 1.5, 1.6 and 2.0-litres with power ranging from 115bhp to 190bhp. All engine variants are turbo-charged direct injection units that feature start-stop technology and brake energy recovery. All of them can be mated to either a 6-speed manual or 7-speed DSG gearbox with the exception of the 2.0-litre diesel, which only comes with the latter.
When equipped with the higher trim variants, the Karoq offers driver profiles that can be adjusted to alter driving dynamics. These modes are Normal, Sport, Eco, Individual and Snow and when the Off-road mode is selected while the AWD system is active, Skoda says that the setup will be better prepared to handle tough terrain.
