Skoda seems to be pretty excited about the next-generation Fabia. We’ve only seen an early prototype disguised as a Volkswagen Polo so far but the automaker is eager to share more details before the car’s debut in 2021.
In September this year, Skoda’s new CEO Thomas Schäfer announced the new Fabia will go on sale next year. In a more recent statement, he confirmed the fourth-generation Fabia will get a station wagon variant, continuing a 20-year-long tradition for the Czech brand.
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“We will again have a combi [wagon] version,” Schaefer wrote on his LinkedIn page, as Automotive News reports. “This is very important to us because it underlines our commitment to offering affordable, practical mobility in the entry-level segments.”
With Peugeot and Renault now out of the subcompact wagon segment, the Fabia Combi will effectively remain an exclusive offering on the European market. Since its launch in 2000, the more practical Fabia has been sold in more than 1.6 million examples, accounting for roughly 35 percent of Fabia’s total sales.
The new Fabia is expected to finally move to Volkswagen Group’s MQB A0 platform, which already underpins its sister models, the VW Polo, SEAT Ibiza, and Audi A1. We expect the powertrain options to include a number of three-cylinder gasoline engines, mated to either a six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Some sort of electrification – most likely mild-hybrid tech – should be in the cards, too.
It’ll be very interesting to see whether the Fabia RS will return after a one-generation hiatus. A report from two years ago hinted at a possible hot hatch based on the fourth-gen Fabia but there’s no official confirmation yet.