Geneva show: Skoda freshens up Fabia

SKODA has revealed its updated Fabia light car ahead of its public debut at the Geneva motor show next month and an Australian arrival in the fourth quarter.

The Czech manufacturer has given its Fabia range a light facelift that now matches Skoda’s design language, with reshaped headlights featuring LED front and rear, and an expanded choice of alloy wheels, including 18-inch hoops for the hatchback.

Inside, the Fabia has also undergone some minor tweaks, including a redesigned instrument cluster, new trim strips for the dashboard and two-tone finishes for the seats.

An updated infotainment system features Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink capability and Skoda Connect services including real-time traffic information, projected onto a 6.5-inch touchscreen display.

Optional equipment includes USB ports for rear-seat passengers, a double-sided boot mat and a portable LED flashlight in the cargo area for wagon versions.

In Europe, all Fabias will be offered with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder powertrain, with base variants pumping out 44kW and 55kW from the aspirated engine.

Top-spec variants add turbocharging and a gasoline particulate filter to the diminutive three-pot, which increases outputs to 70kW and 81kW, matched to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Australian-spec Fabias will retain their existing powertrains, which consist of the 70kW TSI petrol engine paired to a six-speed manual, and an 81kW 1.2-litre four-cylinder mated to the seven-speed DSG.

It benefits from new driver assistance systems, including blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert and auto-dimming headlights, to go with existing features such as autonomous emergency braking and post-collision braking.

Skoda kicked off 2018 with 50 Fabia sales in January, representing a 28.6 per cent drop over the 70 it sold in the first month of 2017.

The Fabia finished 2017 with 983 sales, a 14.7 per cent increase over 2016. The majority of sales were of the hatchback, which proved more popular than the wagon.

The sales tally beat out the likes of the Honda City (942) and Toyota Prius C (737), but was well off the numbers of segment leaders such as the Hyundai Accent (17,578), Mazda2 (12,101), Toyota Yaris (11,226) and Honda Jazz (7301).

The Geneva motor show kicks off on March 8.