When even the official local website for a bona-fide carmaker – not some fly-by-night kit-car – returns an Error 404 message, you just know something has gone terribly wrong, somewhere. And that’s a shame because I really like Skoda cars.
A Google search fares no better, the last search yielded an Autoworld (<–link) post from back in 2003, when a new Auto Praha showroom (below) opened in Bangsar, and its last Facebook update was in 2011. Auto Praha is (was?) the official importer, a company under the Berjaya Group, and the last vestiges of the Skoda brand can still be seen at the Bermaz Mazda HQ in Glenmarie, in addition to the odd smattering of actual Skoda cars.
It’s a shame really that the brand has been allowed to die a slow and painful death, the likes of which can be said about Alfa Romeo, Jeep, Chevrolet and to a point, even Opel here in Malaysia. The last two aforementioned brands are connected of course, and GM definitely made a mistake killing Opel in favour of Chevy, that much is widely whispered, even among GM management.
The last Skoda I personally reviewed was the Superb (above & below), and by all accounts it really did live-up to its nameplate. The Superb had a ‘dual’ boot, its rear-end could be used as a conventional boot, or transformed into a lift-back. It still remains one of the coolest cargo-carrying features I’ve ever come across.
It just wasn’t meant to be I guess, and thanks to AutoExpressUK, this might have been in the cards for us, had the brand survived, the Skoda Skala. This would have been a fun contender for the likes of the VW Golf, if only. – Chris Wee.
From AutoExpress:
The all-new Skoda Scala hatchback has arrived, sitting between the Fabia and Octavia in the Czech brand’s range
This is the all-new Skoda Scala, the Czech firm’s direct rival for the likes of the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus. It’s due on sale in 2019 priced from around £16,500.
The Scala is based on the smallest version of the VW Group’s MQB platform, called A0. That means it shares some mechanicals with models such as the SEAT Ibiza and Volkswagen Polo – but it’s considerably bigger than those machines. Indeed, at 4,362mm, the Scala is still over 10cm longer than a Golf – but a full 30cm shorter than the Octavia.
Buyers will have four engines to choose from at launch. The core of the line-up will be a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol motor, offered with either 94bhp or 114bhp. There is also a more powerful 148bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol unit, complete with cylinder deactivation to boost efficiency, as well as a 1.6-litre diesel delivering 114bhp.
The base petrol unit gets a five-speed manual gearbox; all of the other engines are offered with a six-speed transmission, along with the option of a seven-ratio dual-clutch automatic. For the FULL article, click here.
(Skoda Skala images & info from www.autoexpress.co.uk, Skoda Superb & Octavia images from Skoda M’sia Facebook page, Auto Praha Image from www.autoworld.com.my)
