Skoda press launch skittled by car damage

SKODA Australia has cancelled the national press launch of its new Octavia RS245 flagship sedan and wagon after the first three cars to arrive in Australia were apparently damaged.

Volkswagen Group Australia general manager of corporate communications Paul Pottinger told GoAuto that “investigations were ongoing” into the origins of the damage.

A lack of key replacement parts for the facelifted and upgraded model meant this week’s launch – at which the cars were to feature – was off.

GoAuto understands that while the launch event will now be scrapped, the vehicle’s launch into dealerships on Friday will not be affected. The Octavia is shipped from Skoda’s main plant in Mladá Boleslav in the Czech Republic.

The 180kW/370Nm RS245, which was announced as a permanent addition to the range in September, tops the Octavia range in Australia, and will be priced from $43,390 plus on-road costs. This represents a $4500 increase over the Octavia RS 169TSI.

It uses the same uprated EA888 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the Volkswagen Golf GTI Performance Edition 1, as well as that car’s limited-slip diff. It gains 11kW and 20Nm over the regular RS.

It also scores unique 19-inch rims in black, and a leather/Alcantara interior treatment.

Unlike the limited-edition RS230 that it succeeds, the RS245 will be available with either a six-speed manual gearbox or seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The RS230 was a manual-only run of 70 cars.