Skoda Citigo city car unveiled

Skoda will launch its new £7000 city car, the Skoda Citigo, in the UK in mid-2012. It will be the first model in an aggressive product roll-out that will result in a new car launched every six months.

The new three-door Volkswagen Up-based city car, set to be part of a range of new city cars Skoda collectively calls ‘New Small Family’, will be a major part of Skoda’s ambitious growth plans. The Czech firm wants to be selling 1.5 million cars per year by 2018, up from the 762,600 it sold in 2010.

See official images of the Skoda Citigo

The Citigo’s styling mixes its current cues from the Fabia with the look of its recent VisionD and MissionL concepts cars. It features a finned grille set in chrome-plated frame, similar to that seen on the MissionL seen at Frankfurt motor show earlier this month.

It is 3560mm long, 1650mm wide and 1480mm high, although Skoda claims a 2420mm wheelbase offers enough interior space for four passengers on long trips. Boot volume is 251 litres, or 951 litres with the rear seats folded down.

The Citigo is will be offered initially in the UK with the Up’s 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine with two power outputs: 59bhp and 74bhp.

The standard engines will offer 62.8mpg and 105g/km of CO2 for the 59bhp version and 60.1mpg and 108g/km for the 74bhp unit.

Highly economical variants under the Green Tec banner will also be available. The 59bhp Green Tec will return 67.3mpg and 97g/km, while the 74bhp powerplant will boast 65.7mpg and 99g/km. Alongside the manual gearbox, Citigo will also be available with an automatic transmission.

Interior kit includes satnav – which comes in the shape of a detachable, portable five-inch touchscreen – Bluetooth and numerous storage compartments. The car will also feature Skoda’s new brake assistance system for collision avoidance.

The three-door Citigo will be the sole member of the New Small Family at launch, but Skoda technical chief Eckhard Scholz said the four-door version, previewed by the VW Cross Up at the recent Frankfurt motor show, would be "the most important" of the new cars.

"The three-door looks good, but the four-door is even better in my opinion," he told Autocar. Scholz also confirmed an "aggressive price" for the Citigo, with some sources suggesting a price of around £7000.

An electric version of the Citigo is also under consideration, but not yet confirmed. "We need to learn about the technology first," said Scholz.

Production of the Citigo will begin at Skoda’s Bratislava plant in October. The car will go on sale in the Czech Republic before the end of this year, ahead of the UK and European roll-out next summer.