ŠKODA Motorsport is taking no break during the development process of the new generation ŠKODA FABIA Rally2. Currently, the technicians’ emphasis lies on perfecting the weight distribution. In this respect, the chassis derived from the current FABIA road car gives the engineers the chance to further improve the rally car’s handling characteristics. The new generation of the worldwide successful Rally2 vehicle especially benefits from the new FABIA’s longer wheel base.

 

The new generation Rally2 variant of the ŠKODA FABIA is based on the all-new road car model. With this evolution comes a new chassis as well. As the regulations allow only minor changes in this area, the rally car takes advantages of the road car’s modified dimensions: The series production ŠKODA FABIA features a 94 millimetres longer wheelbase and 48 millimetres more in width.

“The current ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo is the most successful car in its category, winning events all over the world again during the ongoing 2022 season. With the new generation Rally2 variant of the ŠKODA FABIA, we target to defend this position in the future. The completely new chassis is one of the key factors for even better competitiveness.”

Michal Hrabánek, Head of ŠKODA Motorsport

During the current test and development phase of the new generation ŠKODA FABIA Rally2, ŠKODA Motorsport puts a key emphasis on the car‘s weight balance. The longer wheelbase and overall larger dimensions give the engineers new options to position the car’s main components. To find an optimal weight distribution, ŠKODA Motorsport’s engineers developed a unique method to change the balance of the car during test sessions, to evaluate different weight distribution solutions and to analyse set-ups for all types of stage surface.

Jan Krasula, project leader of the development team at ŠKODA Motorsport, describes: “To make the most out this layout, we have started from scratch compared to the previous ŠKODA FABIA Rally2. For example, we were able to re-position the fuel tank. In the engine compartment, we took advantage of the larger space between the chassis rails. We have as well redesigned gearbox, clutch and flywheel to achieve less inertia and more efficiency. Also, the new generation ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 gets a bigger and more efficient intercooler, which would not have fit under the current car’s bonnet.”

Emil Lindholm, reigning Finnish rally champion, says after extensively testing the development car: “The new generation ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 is very well balanced. The longer wheelbase makes the car a little bit calmer, the rear is more stable.”

Andreas Mikkelsen, who at the wheel of a ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo in 2021 won the WRC2 Drivers’ title of the FIA World Rally Championship and the FIA European Rally Championship overall, agrees: “The balance of the car is really, really nice. That gives me a lot of confidence to push over jumps.” And test driver colleague Kris Meeke, a winner on FIA World Rally Championship level as well, sums up his experience with the new generation ŠKODA FABIA Rally2: “Step by step, we are making improvements in every area.”

On the ŠKODA Storyboard, the drivers talk about their role during the development of a new rally car and look behind the scenes during a day of testing.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

POWERPASS enables ŠKODA customers to use a public European charging network, which already boasts more than 310,000 charging points. This also includes around 10,000 fast‑charging points at over 3,000 locations, available to owners of the all-electric ENYAQ iV family at three different tariffs. Most of these charging points are part of the IONITY network, which ŠKODA AUTO and the Volkswagen Group are continuously expanding. One year after its launch, the Czech car manufacturer reports promising results: one in three ENYAQ iVs is already being charged conveniently and easily via POWERPASS using a single smartphone app or RFID card. The following analogy is a testament to the POWERPASS’ success: ŠKODA customers have so far charged enough energy to drive an ENYAQ iV around the world 570 times.

 

A year ago, ŠKODA launched its first all-electric SUV, the ENYAQ iV, and since then has also offered the POWERPASS to its customers. This makes charging a ŠKODA ENYAQ iV convenient and straightforward in most European countries, using a single smartphone app or RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) card. There are already more than 310,000 public charging points in service. These also include the public fast-charging points in the Europe-wide IONITY charging network as well as many other charging points from other operators. With around 10,000 fast‑charging points at more than 3,000 locations, the POWERPASS provides access to the largest fast‑charging network in Europe.

Across Europe, one in three ENYAQ iV drivers already charges their vehicle with POWERPASS. The total energy charged in the first year alone would be enough to circumnavigate the globe 570 times in a ŠKODA ENYAQ iV. Around half of all charging processes were made in the IONITY network, which has outlets offering the maximum charging power of an ENYAQ iV – up to 135 kW. For example, the 82-kWh battery of an ENYAQ COUPÉ iV 80 can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in just 29 minutes, saving a lot of time compared to using other public charging stations. The popularity of these fast-charging stations, which are mainly located on A-roads and motorways, highlights the frequent use of the ENYAQ iV on long-distance journeys.

The only requirement for using the POWERPASS is to register on one of three tariffs. The ‘Charge Free’ tariff bills customers for each kWh drawn from a charging station. ‘Simply Charge’ offers reduced kWh prices when charging at public AC and DC charging stations for a low monthly fee. The most popular tariff is ‘Charge Faster’, which, for a slightly higher monthly fee, also reduces the cost of using the IONITY network as well as offering even lower AC and DC prices. Every POWERPASS user can charge their vehicle throughout Europe at transparent and standardised prices. The POWERPASS manages all charging processes centrally and lists them in the monthly invoice alongside the costs.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

After several weeks’ downtime, ŠKODA AUTO has resumed production of the ŠKODA ENYAQ iV. Initially, around 1,000 units per week will run off the production line, and capacity will gradually be increased. The reason for the production shutdown was supply bottlenecks for cable harnesses from Ukraine.

 

ŠKODA AUTO is ramping up production of its all-electric SUV ENYAQ iV at the main plant in Mladá Boleslav. Production was suspended for several weeks due to supply bottlenecks for cable harnesses.

The manufacturer has now managed to restore the supply of the essential components, enabling production to be restarted. ŠKODA AUTO’s long-term goal is to maintain full production capacity. However, this is dependent on the availability of specific parts, and it is currently not possible to make predictions about the supply chains.

Around 1,000 ENYAQ iVs per week can be produced now that production has resumed, and capacity will gradually be increased over a two-month period. In the long term, the plant in Mladá Boleslav will be producing up to 370 ENYAQ iVs and ENYAQ COUPÉ iVs per day.

The first all-electric ŠKODA SUV represents the Czech carmaker’s biggest step to date in implementing its electromobility strategy. The ENYAQ iV is based on the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electrification Toolkit (MEB). It is built at ŠKODA’s main plant in Mladá Boleslav, making it the only MEB model in Europe to be manufactured outside Germany. The company converted an existing production line to manufacture the ENYAQ iV, expanding it to handle MEB vehicles. This makes it possible to produce models based on the MEB and the MQB (Modular Transverse Toolkit) alongside each other – the only European plant in the Volkswagen Group capable of doing so. In addition to the all-electric SUV, the best-selling OCTAVIA is also produced there.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

Hat-trick for the ŠKODA FABIA: the Czech carmaker’s popular entry-level model has won the renowned Red Dot Award for outstanding product design for the third time after receiving it in 2008 and 2015. This puts the fourth-generation FABIA on a par with the brand’s iconic OCTAVIA. ŠKODA vehicles have now won 17 awards in the product design category of the renowned design competition. The international jury was impressed by the FABIA’s striking design, spaciousness and balanced package overall.

 

“Winning the Red Dot Award for the new FABIA is a very special honour and wonderful confirmation of our work. I would like to thank the entire team, who strive to develop our models’ product identity with great dedication and enthusiasm every day. For over ten years now, our cars have regularly impressed the internationally renowned jury members with their emotive design, generous space, practicality and excellent value for money – an attractive package all-round that our customers also appreciate.”

Oliver Stefani, Head of ŠKODA Design

Offering the most space in its segment, the fourth-generation ŠKODA FABIA also scores points for its emotive design and athletic proportions. The angular front headlights, which come with LED technology as standard, extend to the ŠKODA grille. Just like the LED rear lights, they feature crystalline structures inspired by Bohemian glass art. Another tribute to the FABIA’s country of origin appears on the front doors, with bodylines stylising the characteristic triangle of the Czech flag.

In their summary, the expert jury of the Red Dot Award emphasised: “The FABIA conveys a sporty yet likeable impression through its exterior design. The interior has a surprisingly generous feeling of spaciousness.” The symmetrically designed instrument panel along with the free-standing central display and horizontal decorative trim emphasise the width of the interior and enhance the FABIA’s ample space.

48 design experts from 23 countries judge entries
The Red Dot Award is one of the world’s best-known and most prestigious design competitions. 48 jury members from 23 nations, including professors, designers, journalists and consultants, independently evaluated each entry based on numerous criteria, including standard of innovation, functionality, ergonomics, durability and environmental friendliness. In 2022, the Red Dot, which is an internationally recognised seal of quality product design, will be presented for the 67th time. The official award ceremony will be held at the Red Dot Gala on 20 June 2022 in Essen/Germany.

The fourth-generation FABIA has secured this coveted seal of quality for ŠKODA for the 17th time. The Czech automaker’s first Red Dot Award was received for the OCTAVIA COMBI II in 2006. Following four more Red Dot Awards in the Brand and Communication Design category, ŠKODA AUTO also won the prize in the Interface & User Experience category for the first time last year for the MyŠKODA smartphone app and the digital design system ŠKODA Flow.

An overview of all ŠKODA vehicles awarded the Red Dot to date

2022 ŠKODA FABIA IV
2021 ŠKODA ENYAQ iV
2020 ŠKODA OCTAVIA IV and ŠKODA KAMIQ GT
2019 ŠKODA SCALA
2018 ŠKODA KAROQ
2017 ŠKODA KODIAQ and ŠKODA OCTAVIA COMBI III
2016 ŠKODA SUPERB III
2015 ŠKODA FABIA III
2014 ŠKODA RAPID SPACEBACK
2013 ŠKODA RAPID
2010 ŠKODA SUPERB II und ŠKODA YETI
2008 ŠKODA FABIA II
2007 ŠKODA ROOMSTER
2006 ŠKODA OCTAVIA COMBI II

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

To mark Earth Day today, ŠKODA AUTO is once again taking part in the Volkswagen Group’s #Project1Hour this year. The initiative focuses on personal responsibility for climate protection and calls on employees around the world to consider how they can contribute to improving their ecological footprint during a one-hour workshop. ŠKODA AUTO has incorporated its ambitious sustainability goals into its ‘GreenFuture’ strategy and tightened them as part of its NEXT LEVEL – ŠKODA STRATEGY 2030. The car manufacturer aims to reduce its fleet emissions by more than 50 per cent compared to 2020.

 

The #Project1Hour initiative encourages the more than 660,000 employees in the Volkswagen Group to focus on their own contribution to sustainability and climate protection. This year, ŠKODA AUTO employees are not the only people taking part in the project; the car manufacturer’s subsidiaries, including ŠKODA AUTO Slovakia, ŠKODA AUTO Germany, ŠKO-ENERGO and SAVWIPL India are also getting involved.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

 

 

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  1. ENYAQ iV proves unbeatable at Top Gear Electric Car Awards
  2. ŠKODA AUTO overcomes challenging 2021 fiscal year – outlook marked by major uncertainties
  3. New generation ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 profits from road car’s outstanding aerodynamics
  4. ŠKODA AUTO generates a return of over 6% in 2021 despite the pandemic and semiconductor shortages

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