Photo: Skoda
From a small company who's entire model range revolved around Fabia and Octavia models, Skoda has blossomed into a global giant with sales growing in China by the the day. A new flagship is now desperately needed and, according to the latest reports, will arrive as early as next year's Geneva Motor Show.
Australian motoring magazine CarAdvice claims an all-new, fourth-generation Superb sedan will be officially shown during next year's Geneva venue, the biggest of the European calendar for H1 2015.
Even though the report is from a reputable publication, who usually doesn't steer us in he wrong direction, and is based on word from Skoda's figurative mouth, there's something awfully fishy about this next report. No Mk4 Superb test prototype has ever been seen testing in Europe, which is highly unusual for a car that's less than half a year away from being revealed.
It could just be that Skoda will start with a pre-production concept, which wouldn't require them to conduct road testing beforehand. Being a flagship model, the Superb is more than capable of previewing every major technology and design change that will influence all future Skodas, so the concept could be enough to peak everyone's interest for a short while.
Previous reports claimed the new Superb, which was supposed to come out in 2016, would grow it wheelbase by 75mm to 2,836mm. It has also been confirmed that this will be the first-ever Skoda plug-in hybrid model. An engine swap with the Passat GTE will give it a 1.4-liter TSI turbo and an electric motor that offer a combined 218 PS of output.
Currently the biggest engine offered with the Superb sedan or estate, the 3.2-liter V6 mill will be replaced by a 2-liter turbo making 280 or 300 PS, sent out to all four wheels via a new seven-speed DSG gearbox and Haldex all-wheel drive.
As for the rest of the engine range, this will be made up of 2.0 TDI diesels ranging from 150 to 240 PS, and a few petrols – 1.4 TSI and 1.8 TSI. The Superb should also feature the most advanced active safety technology and the first application of adaptive all-LED headlights.
Here's hoping the Superb can also live up to its name, since the current model hasn't aged all that gracefully!
Even though the report is from a reputable publication, who usually doesn't steer us in he wrong direction, and is based on word from Skoda's figurative mouth, there's something awfully fishy about this next report. No Mk4 Superb test prototype has ever been seen testing in Europe, which is highly unusual for a car that's less than half a year away from being revealed.
It could just be that Skoda will start with a pre-production concept, which wouldn't require them to conduct road testing beforehand. Being a flagship model, the Superb is more than capable of previewing every major technology and design change that will influence all future Skodas, so the concept could be enough to peak everyone's interest for a short while.
Same MQB platform as the Passat B8
Just like the Golf and Octavia models share a platform, the Superb will use the same architecture as the all-new Volkswagen Passat B8. In fact, all four cars technically use the same MQB modular platform and benefit from the same technological advancements, but the Passat and Superb use a longer wheelbase version that's been specially engineered for them.Previous reports claimed the new Superb, which was supposed to come out in 2016, would grow it wheelbase by 75mm to 2,836mm. It has also been confirmed that this will be the first-ever Skoda plug-in hybrid model. An engine swap with the Passat GTE will give it a 1.4-liter TSI turbo and an electric motor that offer a combined 218 PS of output.
Currently the biggest engine offered with the Superb sedan or estate, the 3.2-liter V6 mill will be replaced by a 2-liter turbo making 280 or 300 PS, sent out to all four wheels via a new seven-speed DSG gearbox and Haldex all-wheel drive.
As for the rest of the engine range, this will be made up of 2.0 TDI diesels ranging from 150 to 240 PS, and a few petrols – 1.4 TSI and 1.8 TSI. The Superb should also feature the most advanced active safety technology and the first application of adaptive all-LED headlights.
Here's hoping the Superb can also live up to its name, since the current model hasn't aged all that gracefully!
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