The Skoda Fabia is older than you think. Although the current model was launched in 2007, and is due for replacement later this year, it carried over the chassis and underpinnings from its 1999 predecessor. In automotive terms, that makes it a pensioner, and Skoda is going to preview its youthful replacement with a concept car to be shown at the Geneva Motor Show next month.
The new Fabia will ditch its current dated mechanical package and will be built on a cut-and-shut version of the Volkswagen Group’s headline-grabbing MQB parts matrix, called MQB-A. Significantly, the Fabia will be the debut model for this package, as the current VW Polo has just had a facelift, and will be sticking with its existing chassis for a couple of years yet. The Fabia will get the updated Polo’s new engines though – ranging from 1.0-litre three-cylinder and 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrols, with and without turbos, to a range of new 1.4-litre TDI diesels.
Skoda is already hinting that both the concept and the production model will be more exciting to look at than the current rather staid and sensible Fabia.
Although Skoda doesn’t want to alienate its traditional Fabia customer base, it’s keen to make the most of its recent rallying successes and also to capitalise on the younger buyers coming into the brand, drawn in by models such as the sporty-looking Fabia Monte Carlo. There won’t be an RS model this time around, though - the 180hp hot Fabia was well received critically but just hasn’t sold strongly enough to justify a third generation.