Skoda Garage London Blog - Skoda Garage London - London's best independent Skoda Garage London

› Readers of German Auto Bild Allrad magazine vote two ŠKODAs best in their respective categories
› OCTAVIA is best import car and overall winner in the ‘4×4s under €40,000’ category
› SUPERB is chosen as best import 4×4 costing over €40,000
› ŠKODA currently offers four models with all-wheel drive: the OCTAVIA, SUPERB, KAROQ and KODIAQ

Mladá Boleslav, 5 June 2020 – Readers of the German Auto Bild Allrad magazine have awarded two ŠKODA models with ‘4×4 of the year’ titles. In the category of all-wheel drive vehicles under €40,000, the OCTAVIA 4×4 claimed victory for both best import car as well as overall winner. As for all-wheel-drive vehicles costing more than €40,000, the ŠKODA flagship SUPERB 4×4 was voted best import car. The readers of Europe’s bestselling all-wheel-drive car magazine picked the OCTAVIA as their favourite in its category for the fourth time, and the SUPERB for an impressive eleventh time.

Christian Strube, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Technical Development, said, “The fact that the OCTAVIA and SUPERB have been named 4×4s of the year by the knowledgeable Auto Bild Allrad readers is great testament to our brand’s high level of all-wheel-drive expertise: our 4×4s meet all kinds of expectations and demands and, thanks to state-of-the-art and intelligent all-wheel-drive technology, they make driving fun and handling safe in every driving situation. On behalf of my entire team, I would like to thank every reader who voted for our models and thus enabled ŠKODA to come top in two categories.”

In the category of 4×4 passenger cars costing less than €40,000, 13.8 per cent of readers rated the ŠKODA OCTAVIA 4×4 as their favourite. The brand’s bestseller was voted the overall winner as well as best import car. The Czech car manufacturer’s bestseller had already been the readers’ choice in the ‘4×4 of the year’ category in 2014, 2015 and 2019. Having secured 6.59 per cent of the votes, the brand’s top model – the ŠKODA SUPERB 4×4 – is the first-choice import 4×4 over €40,000 this year. This makes 2020 the eleventh year in which the brand’s flagship came first in the readers’ poll.

This year, voting for the ‘4×4s of the year’ took place for the 19th time. Overall, there were 218 models in eleven categories to choose from. Readers had the opportunity to vote online for their favourites from 10 January to 6 March.

The success story of the modern-day all-wheel-drive ŠKODAs began in 1999 with the ŠKODA OCTAVIA COMBI 4×4. Three years later, the Czech carmaker also presented the hatchback version of its bestseller as a 4×4, followed by the second generation of the popular compact model, also available as an all-wheel-drive variant.

In 2019, approximately one in nine ŠKODA OCTAVIAs delivered in Europe were 4×4s. Now in its fourth generation, the model will be once again available in various all-wheel-drive powertrain configurations; the OCTAVIA is also more spacious, connected and emotive than ever before.

ŠKODA first presented the SUPERB hatchback with 4×4 technology in 2008, and the first SUPERB COMBI 4×4 followed one year later. In 2019, every fourth newly registered model on the European market was equipped with all-wheel drive – making up 26 per cent of total sales. Since it was comprehensively revised in 2019, the ŠKODA SUPERB has offered features such as full LED Matrix headlights and an even wider range of innovative assistance systems – making it more attractive and state-of-the-art than ever. Last year also saw the debut of the SUPERB iV, the brand’s first production plug-in hybrid.

All-wheel drive at ŠKODA: now available in four model ranges
ŠKODA developed the first prototypes with more than one driven axle back in the late 1930s. ŠKODA’s modern-day 4×4 success story began in 1999 with the OCTAVIA COMBI 4×4. ŠKODA AUTO has since produced more than one million 4×4s – 157,000 in 2019 alone. Demand for all-wheel drive is so high that the Czech car manufacturer has rigorously expanded its 4×4 portfolio in recent years. Today, this includes the KAROQ, OCTAVIA, KODIAQ and SUPERB model ranges.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

› Patterned camo wraps are used to blur contours and hide new design features
› Camouflage artists spent 120 hours disguising the fully battery-electric ŠKODA ENYAQ iV
› Test marathon on the way to production-readiness takes place on all continents

Mladá Boleslav, 25 May 2020 – The only reason test mules catch most people’s eyes is their eye-catching camouflage wrap. But why go to all the trouble? Well, it’s about more than just colourful patterns. ŠKODA test mules generally allow only vague assumptions about what’s hidden under the wrap. This is essential, given that long before the introduction of a new model by the Czech manufacturer, its prototypes will already have covered up to two million test kilometres under real-world conditions. More often than not, tests will take place in regular road traffic. Camouflage patterns protect a new vehicle’s design and features from inquisitive eyes and spy snappers, using optical illusions to disorient the viewer.

Before ŠKODA presents a new model to a global audience, prototypes will have spent thousands of hours on test rigs and in climatic chambers, and covered up to two million test kilometres. The test marathon on the way to production-readiness takes place on all continents. After all, the final production vehicle will have to perform as reliably in extreme cold below minus 30 degrees Celsius as at temperatures well above plus 40 degrees Celsius. The challenging and comprehensive test programme sees cars put through their paces in the sweltering heat, at high humidity and on dusty off-road tracks as well as at arctic temperatures, in the snow and on iced-over surfaces. And, of course, in regular road traffic.

Florian Weymar, Head of Total Vehicle Development at ŠKODA, explains: “In addition to the actual purpose of making a car unrecognisable, the rules and regulations governing the use of vehicles on public roads must of course be observed as well. That is why each prototype will have functioning indicators and brake lights and the complete set of sensors, regardless of the means used to camouflage or disguise its design. The work to be done by the test drivers and engineers during each journey is another consideration. Thus, in general, the air intakes must not be interfered with and the interior air vents must not be covered. This ensures that the measurement results provide a good indication of the data for the actual production vehicle. In the interior, it is crucial that the driver is able to view the instruments and have access to key control elements at any time.”

Keeping everyone in suspense until shortly before the premiere
To protect prototypes from the prying eyes of journalists, photographers and competitors, the cars are carefully camouflaged. This is the only way to ensure that technical innovations, new design features and clever details remain hidden from view. Inquisitive eyes will even search in vain for the ŠKODA wordmark or the brand’s emblem on any of the manufacturer’s test mules. Of particular interest to spy snappers equipped with a camera or smartphone are visually distinctive features, contours or body elements such as the headlights, radiator grille or the rear, which is why these areas in particular are carefully covered, or even disguised by means of temporary attachments. Camouflage patterns are also used to conceal body contours and outlines, and even the side windows are partially wrapped to conceal the design of the window line.

Similar rules apply to the interior. After all, a cabin that’s close to the final production version requires protection from the photographers’ lenses as well, because even a test mule will on occasion be parked out in the open, for example when refuelling at a petrol station. Materials used inside a test vehicle include blackout fleece fabrics that can be fashioned into separate covers for the cockpit, instrument panel, central display, infotainment system, centre console, control elements or air vents, while being easy to remove before the journey continues. ŠKODA uses these meticulous, comprehensive camouflage techniques until it’s time for the official presentation of a new model, keeping customers and industry media representatives in suspense to the very end.

Camouflage: from test mule to work of art
At ŠKODA, camouflage artists are responsible for designing and developing the camo wraps. There are few limits to the experts’ imagination and creativity. They play with patterns, 3D effects and colour contrasts to trick the viewer’s eyes. Sometimes they even hide messages inside the camouflage design, like a hashtag for the @skodaautonews Twitter account. Applying a finished camouflage wrap to a car by hand takes several hours.

When it comes to special events, the camouflage specialists at ŠKODA team up with marketing experts to develop some particularly impressive solutions. For the final stage of the 2016 Tour de France, for instance, the KODIAQ SUV appeared as the lead vehicle ahead of its official launch, decked out in a red, grey and black camouflage wrap and attracting plenty of attention during the Tour’s grand procession down the Champs-Elysées. In 2019, shortly before its world premiere, the fourth-generation ŠKODA OCTAVIA could be spotted on the streets of Prague and Mladá Boleslav in a special bicolour camo wrap in yellow and orange, for a game of “Catch me if you can” with ŠKODA fans. Fans uploading their snapshots of the camouflaged vehicles to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram could win an exclusive invitation to the world premiere in Prague. The prototypes for what became the SCALA, on the other hand, featured a pattern of white and blue dashes.

Car spotters waiting near the company headquarters in Mladá Boleslav will currently be able to catch the odd glimpse of a prototype of the ŠKODA ENYAQ iV sporting a camouflage wrap with black and white facets and three-dimensional elements. The camouflage artists spent a total of 120 hours developing the concept for disguising the first purely electric ŠKODA SUV and used around 18 square metres of camouflage foil. The ŠKODA ENYAQ iV will be revealed later this year.

However, the camouflage specialists will not have much time to relax, because by the end of 2022, a total of ten models of the electrified ŠKODA iV family will be introduced.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

› ŠKODA KAMIQ – the manufacturer’s first SUV to be released as a SCOUTLINE version
› New equipment line of the city SUV with adventure appeal and off-road look

Mladá Boleslav, 13 May 2020 – The new KAMIQ SCOUTLINE features, among other things, matt black wheel arch liners, striking silver bodywork elements, large 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels and full-LED rear lights. The ŠKODA KAMIQ SCOUTLINE will be launched in the first markets in July 2020.

The KAMIQ is the first model in ŠKODA’s SUV family to be given a SCOUTLINE variant, which is based on the Ambition trim level and can be fitted with any of the engines in the portfolio. This consists of three petrol versions, one diesel and a G-TEC that runs on natural gas (CNG). The various engines therefore deliver between 66 kW (90 PS) and 110 kW (150 PS). What’s more, ŠKODA is offering the KAMIQ SCOUTLINE in a choice of thirteen different colours: two solid and eleven metallic finishes.

The ŠKODA KAMIQ SCOUTLINE has a specific coloured front spoiler with an optional underbody protection and a rear diffuser. These come in silver, as do the side sills, wing mirrors and roof rails. SCOUTLINE badges on the front wings and full LED tail lights as standard provide the finishing touches to the KAMIQ SCOUTLINE’s exterior.

Interior boasts ThermoFlux seats and specific decorative trims
In its interior, the ŠKODA KAMIQ SCOUTLINE offers a generous amount of space and specific decorative trims – in an ash-wood effect as standard or the Dark Brushed finish as an option. The air vents and trim on the dashboard sport a chrome finish and the pedal covers come in an aluminium look. The height-adjustable front seats feature special SCOUTLINE upholstery made of breathable ThermoFlux fabric and Suedia microfibre; the steering wheel, handbrake lever and gearstick knob are leather. LED ambient lighting bathes the dashboard in white or copper light, whilst the centre console, storage compartments in the doors, door handles and footwell are illuminated in white. In addition, the KAMIQ SCOUTLINE features LED reading lights and an optional black roof lining.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

› Practical and environmentally friendly scooter for mobility in cities
› Patented folding mechanism as a Simply Clever feature
› Easy to stow under the boot floor of the ŠKODA KAMIQ and SCALA

Mladá Boleslav, 19 May 2020 – Micromobility is becoming increasingly important, especially in urban areas. With the ŠKODA Scooter, the Czech car manufacturer offers a smart and environmentally friendly means of transport specifically designed for cities: The modern, dynamic and easy-to-use vehicle promotes awareness of the ŠKODA brand among a young, active target group with growing environmental concerns. Thanks to its patented folding mechanism, the practical scooter can be easily transported without sacrificing luggage space in the ŠKODA models KAMIQ and SCALA, for example. This makes the ŠKODA scooter ideally suited for the first and last mile, i.e. the short journey from the car to the destination and back.

For convenience, the new ŠKODA scooter can be folded up in a few simple steps. Collapsed, it measures just 49×42×11 centimetres and fits into the spare wheel well under the boot floor of the compact ŠKODA SCALA and ŠKODA KAMIQ if they are equipped with a breakdown kit. This ensures that the entire volume of the boot remains free for transporting luggage and shopping.

Rubber grips provide excellent support on the handlebars on the way to work, sports or the shops. Made of steel and aluminium, the ŠKODA scooter weighs less than five kilograms but can carry up to 100 kilograms.

As a mobility solution featuring the brand’s signature design and paint colours as well as the easy-to-use folding mechanism, the ŠKODA Scooter embodies the brand’s ethos as the Simply Clever company for the best mobility solutions. The scooter is available online from the Czech ŠKODA shop.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

› Extension of the manufacturer’s warranty until 31 August 2020 at the latest
› Due to the coronavirus crisis, the measure applies to all world markets except China

Mladá Boleslav, 7 May 2020 – In recent weeks, many ŠKODA customers have had limited opportunities to submit their warranty claims to ŠKODA dealers due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. For this reason, ŠKODA AUTO is granting its customers an extension of the ŠKODA new car warranty and ŠKODA extended warranty as a gesture of goodwill. ŠKODA will soon be introducing this measure in all world markets with the exception of China.

Stanislav Pekař, Head of Aftersales at ŠKODA AUTO emphasizes: “We acknowledge the difficulties our customers are facing in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic, which is why we are offering
a three-month warranty extension. With this measure, we are creating clarity for the planning of upcoming workshop visits to our ŠKODA contract partners in a quick, uncomplicated and decisive manner.”

The ŠKODA warranty extension applies worldwide to all ŠKODA vehicles, with the exception of vehicles produced in China or for the Chinese market. The precondition is that the ŠKODA new car warranty or ŠKODA extended warranty is due to expire between 1.3.2020 and 31.5.2020. The period ends three months after the original ŠKODA new car warranty or ŠKODA extended warranty has expired or no later than 31 August 2020, whichever is first.

The mileage limitation of the ŠKODA extended warranty and other conditions, remain in effect throughout the warranty extension. If a ŠKODA new car warranty with mileage limitation has been issued in a market, this mileage limitation also remains in effect. If the extension of the ŠKODA new car warranty overlaps with the start of the ŠKODA extended warranty, the start of the ŠKODA extended warranty is delayed by three months at no extra charge.

This extension of the warranty periods as a gesture of goodwill is a onetime and voluntary concession on the part of the manufacturer without recognition of any legal obligation or commitment for the future.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

More Articles...

Skoda Blog