Exclusive images as Skoda confirms plans for striking Fabia SUV are taking shape
R&D boss confirms rival for Nissan Juke – and this is what it could look like ■ Supermini-suv will be in showrooms by 2018 ■ Promises to offer the most space in its class
THE Skoda Fabia SUV has been given the green light for production, according to the company’s head of research and development – and it will attempt to move beyond the recent formula for small crossovers by offering genuine practicality, Auto Express can exclusively reveal.
The Fabia SUV – a rival for the Citroen C4 Cactus and Nissan Juke – has been under consideration for more than two years, and our exclusive images show how it could look.
As recently as last autumn, the firm teased a sketch of the car to journalists, but insisted it had not been approved for production. Now Christian Strube, Skoda’s board member for research and development, has acknowledged that the project is under way in earnest. When asked at the recent Paris Motor Show if Skoda could afford to continue ignoring the small SUV market, Strube said: “No, of course not. After Kodiaq and Yeti, we are talking about a smaller lifestyle SUV. I am already working on it.”
Skoda is unlikely to be the first VW Group brand to bring a baby SUV to market; indeed, SEAT confirmed at Paris that its own Juke rival will be called Arona when it arrives in the second half of 2017. Volkswagen’s Polo-based T-roc is also likely to beat the Fabia SUV to showrooms. However, Skoda’s offering is likely to be a larger model than either the SEAT or VW, as the firm
“Bosses aim to deliver a car that is not just a jackedup version of supermini”
tries to avoid one of the chief complaints about baby SUVS: that they don’t offer any more practicality than a supermini. No name has been revealed so far, although Skoda did apply earlier this year to register both Aratan and Airon.
Auto Express understands that the next Yeti will grow to become a fully fledged Qashqai rival with a clear link to the new Kodiaq, allowing space below for a car that’s longer and slightly wider than the Fabia. This would fulfil the Skoda trend of offering more space than the class average.
The new car would be longer, wider and noticeably taller than the Fabia, as bosses are aiming to deliver a vehicle that is not simply a jacked-up version of the supermini. For that reason a unique front end and chunky body cladding will give it its own distinctive look.
It’s conceivable that Skoda could base the car on the shortest version of the VW Group’s midsized MQB platform – although it can also draw on experience with the older component set, PQ25, which underpins the current Fabia. Ingenuity in this area helped Skoda to launch the original Yeti – a size of SUV that has yet to be replicated by any other brand in the VW Group.
Skoda is exploring every possible mechanical option within the VW Group’s kit of components to deliver a car worthy of the brand’s reputation for offering practicality. “We have to find a compromise between the investment and getting the right car together,” Strube said.
“We have to do this in an intelligent way. We are able to work with the other brands and we can develop using the modules to bring our own ideas to the VW Group.” Asked if this meant a ‘creative’ approach on platforms, similar to the one that spawned the first Yeti, he said: “Exactly.”