The new Skoda Fabia has been spotted almost completely undisguised months ahead of its official debut at the Paris motor show in October.
The pictures show a cleaner, more modern design than the current Skoda Fabia, inspired by Skoda’s recent Rapid and Skoda Octavia models, particularly in its front and rear end designs. There’s a distinctive shoulder line, sleeker roofline, more heavily creased bodywork, and a subtle lip spoiler.
As the pictures reveal, the new Fabia is similar in length to today’s 4m-long model, but it adopts a longer wheelbase and a small increase in width which is set to improve cabin space and load capacity.
Skoda’s new supermini will sit on a heavily re-engineered version of the platform used by the current car, rather than adopt the shortened version of the Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform, known as MQB-A, which is being prepared for the next generation of the Volkswagen Polo. The similarities in basic shape between the old and new models can be seen in this test mule.
The current platform is being kept and updated for a number of reasons. It will keep the Skoda Fabia as the VW Group’s entry-level supermini. It also will ensure economy of scale, because the modified structure is already being used beneath the Skoda Rapid and Seat Toledo models and it has just been extensively updated for the facelifted Polo.
Skoda says that, while not wanting to alienate traditional Skoda Fabia buyers, the new car will be given fresh appeal in its styling and approach. Skoda boss Winfried Vahland has previously told Autocar that the new car will “major on features like connectivity, to give it a more youthful appeal”.
Likely engine options include a pair of 1.2-litre and 1.4-litre petrol units and a 1.6-litre diesel. The 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine found in the Citigo could also be offered in the supermini.
Skoda has already confirmed that the vRS model will not be making an appearance in the next-generation Fabia, because the current car has not been a commercial success.
Get the latest car news, reviews and galleries from Autocar direct to your inbox every week. Enter your email address below:
Join the debate
Add your comment
New Fabia
This new Fabia reminds me of the Rover Metro and a Samsung fridge. I really hope they are using 90% of that car original body panels on this mule. Small cars like this need a hot hatch, the original VRS Diesel was great, Skoda stopped making it.
Audi had a great advertising motto, which I grew up with.
Skoda are using this
"Dumpfheit und Mangel an Phantasie"
Dullness and lack of imagination
Please Skoda, listen to your customers.
Something is very not right
Clever disguise kit
They've made it appear that there's minimal disguise, but actually there's quite a lot. We haven't a clue what the shape any of the lamps actually are, even though at first glance it appears we can see all of the headlamp units. And that crease just below the waistline is part of the disguise, so we don't know what's really happening in that area either. The lip on the tailgate could also be fake. Very clever.