ŠKODA retailers ready for a Fabialous launch weekend
- ŠKODA retailers across the UK are set to launch the award-winning new Fabia
- Latest version of ŠKODA’s small car is packed with style and equipment
- Smart new showrooms the perfect setting for the sharp-edged new car
Milton Keynes, 29 January 2015 - ŠKODA retailers all over the country are preparing for a busy weekend, with the launch of the new Fabia. Many retailers are also using this opportunity simultaneously to launch their new showrooms, which, just like the Fabia, are now more stylish and spacious than ever before.
ŠKODA UK has gone from strength to strength, with sales doubling over the past five years to a record 76,027 in 2014. The growth has been spearheaded by a dynamic range of vehicles, the latest of which is the new Fabia hatchback.
The new Fabia is the third generation of ŠKODA’s popular small car, over 3.5 million of which have been sold worldwide since the first model went on sale 15 years ago. In the UK, over 250,000 Fabias have found a home with British buyers.
Available in five-door hatch and (from March) estate forms, the new Fabia introduces innovative safety, comfort and infotainment systems to the segment. It features an expressive, dynamic design with smooth proportions, crystalline shapes and clear-cut lines. The new Fabia is also more spacious, stronger and more efficient than its predecessor, thanks to significant weight-saving and the introduction of cleaner EU6-compliant engines across the range, helping to make it up to 17 per cent more efficient.
The Fabia has already been crowned the What Car? Car of the Year 2015, with the magazine calling it ‘a superb small car that’s practical, well equipped and cheap to run’. European car safety organisation Euro NCAP has also called the Fabia the safest car in its class – its five-star safety rating being helped by standard safety features including six airbags, and the Front Assist with City Emergency Braking autonomous braking system (which is standard from SE).
ŠKODA’s UK retailers are transforming their showrooms with a new look that provides the perfect launch pad for the Fabia. The new-look showrooms provide more space to show the ŠKODA range, and also offer better facilities for customers – helping to maintain ŠKODA’s award-winning customer service. The brand has recently been judged the number one automotive brand in the UK, according to a survey of over 10,000 customers by the Institute of Customer Service.
Fred Rees Garages celebrates What Car? award success
Fred Rees Garages is celebrating ŠKODA’s success in the What Car? magazine Car of the Year awards 2016. The ŠKODA Fabia was named Best Small Car, the Octavia Best Estate Car, while the ŠKODA Superb picked up the award for Best Family Car.
Dealer principal of Fred Rees Garages said: “the Superb was completely redesigned this year, with a sleeker, more modern design and an even better feature set. We’re over the moon that this has been recognised by the judges of these prestigious awards.”
This is the second year Fabia has driven off with the Best Small Car award, and the third win in a row for Octavia. ŠKODA also scored six price-point victories – more than any other manufacturer.
Commenting on the Fabia award, What Car?’s editorial director and awards judge Jim Holder said: “it’s well-built, refined and is offered with a range of modern features and safety equipment.
“For the money, no other small car is as capable. ”
Fred Rees Garages' principal said: “we’re very proud of these awards, but people really need to get behind the wheel themselves to see just how good the new range is. I’d encourage them to take a test-drive and discover for themselves what all the fuss is about.”
ŠKODA at the 2016 What Car? Awards summary
CATEGORY WINS
2016 SMALL CAR OF THE YEAR: Fabia 1.2 TSI 90 SE
2016 FAMILY CAR: Octavia 1.2 TSI 110 SE
2016 ESTATE CAR: Superb Estate 2.0 TDI 150 SE Business
PRICE POINTS
CITY CAR (less than £10,000) Citigo 1.0 60 SE 5dr
SMALL CAR (£12,000-£15,000) Fabia 1.2 TSI 90 SE
FAMILY CAR (£16,000-£19,000) Octavia 1.2 TSI 110 SE
ESTATE (less than £18,000) Fabia Estate 1.2 TSI SE
ESTATE (£18,000-£25,000) Superb Estate 2.0 TDI 150 SE Business
COMPACT EXECUTIVE CAR (less than £25,000) Superb Hatch 2.0 TDI 150 SE Business