New CNG Skoda Octavia offers 826-mile range

A new compressed natural gas variant of the Skoda Octavia has made its debut in Geneva.

The Octavia G-TEC will become the second CNG Skoda to go on sale, following the natural-gas fuelled Citigo. The Octavia is powered by an EU6 emissions compliant 1.4-litre TSI turbocharged petrol engine with 108bhp.

Skoda says the new model can travel up to 255 miles on gas alone, with an extra 572-mile range when on petrol power. That gives the CNG Octavia a total range of some 826 miles.

CO2 emissions are put at 97g/km, while Skoda quotes official consumption figures of 5.4 cubic metres of natural gas per 100km. That's equivalent to 3.5kg of fuel.

Features on the CNG Octavia include stop-start and regenerative braking. Skoda has already confirmed that the Octavia G-TEC won't go on sale in this country, however. The UK has a significant lack of CNG infrastructure, with just five filling stations spread across the country.

Production on the Octavia G-TEC will begin at the end of May.

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