The ŠKODA Yeti SE Plus has scooped two class wins at this year’s prestigious Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Awards.

The brand’s acclaimed 4x4 model took top honours in both the Vehicle Excise tax bands G, H & I and the All Wheels Drive under 1800kg categories.

The judges, made up of experienced motoring journalists and seasoned caravanning experts, were impressed with the Yeti’s towing capability, applauding its “load capacity, high-speed stability, cornering prowess, handling and ride”.

ŠKODA UK Brand Director, Alasdair Stewart, comments: “The Yeti is an astonishingly versatile vehicle, so it is no surprise that it continues to win awards across the board.

“The caravanning community has always been extremely supportive of ŠKODA – the Superb Estate is already a double-winner at the Towcar of the Year Awards - so it’s fantastic that the Yeti’s exceptional offering for these customers has been recognised this year.”

The 2013 competition attracted 23 entrants from a number of manufacturers, with the entrants put through their paces at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire.

Special guest, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, attended the testing regime at Millbrook and then presented the Class awards to representatives from the winning manufacturers at an awards ceremony in London on 26th September.

In a bid to make the awards more relevant for members and more attuned to environmental motoring issues, the categorisation of entrants was decided by Vehicle Excise Duty tax bands rather than by price-class for the first time in the competition’s 30-year history.

During track tests, the judges assessed each car’s towing ability more rigorously than ever before, with an acceleration test and a reversing test added to the usual evaluation. The tests included a mid-range 30-60mph acceleration assessment, high-speed towing circuits, emergency braking, ride and handling evaluations and hill-stop and restart tests.

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

ŠKODA has revealed UK prices for the eagerly anticipated Rapid hatchback, which will go on sale from the 12 November 2012.

The Rapid is the first ŠKODA production car to fully feature the brand’s new design language and provides outstanding space for five passengers and their luggage.

As you would expect from a ŠKODA, Rapid embodies all of the core values for which the brand has become famous – exceptional value for money and engineering excellence with a human touch.

Four petrol and one diesel engine are available under the bonnet of the ŠKODA Rapid from launch, mated to five or six-speed manual transmissions or a seven-speed automatic DSG. The Rapid offers outstanding value for money and low running costs with CO2 emissions starting from 114g/km of CO2 (on the 1.6 TDI CR 105PS DPF engine) and insurance ratings starting as low as 7E (for the 1.2 MPI 75PS engine).

With Benefit in Kind (BIK) ratings from only 14%, the ŠKODA Rapid is expected to provide a boost to the brand’s rapidly expanding fleet sales.

On-the-road pricing starts from £12,900 for the Rapid 1.2 MPI 75PS engine in entry level S trim, rising to £17,850 for the Rapid 1.6 TDI CR 105PS DPF engine in flagship Elegance grade.

The ŠKODA Rapid comes with a high level of standard equipment. Every model gets remote central locking, curtain airbags, daytime running lights, rake/reach-adjustable steering wheel, height-adjustable driver’s seat and electric front windows.

The SE trim adds 15-inch alloy wheels, body coloured door mirrors and handles, air-conditioning, Maxi-dot trip computer, MDI (Multi Device Interface), a leather steering wheel and Bluetooth connectivity.

Buyers opting for range-topping Elegance models benefit from 16-inch alloys, cornering front fog lamps, cruise control, height-adjustable passenger seat, rear electric windows, chrome interior detailing and a four spoke multi-functional steering wheel.

The ŠKODA Rapid is the seventh car in the brand’s award-winning range, and will sell alongside the Citigo, Fabia, Roomster, Octavia, Superb and Yeti. Production began last month at the company’s plant in Mladá Boleslav in the Czech Republic.

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

ŠKODA’s appearance at the 2012 Paris Automobile Salon (27th September – 14th October, 2012) will be dominated by the ŠKODA Rapid as the new compact hatch makes its world debut. Rapid will be the first model in the ŠKODA range to feature ŠKODA’s new design language and will be introduced in Europe from the end of October, continuing ŠKODA’s international model offensive.

In launching the new ŠKODA Rapid, ŠKODA ignites the next stage of its model offensive; no surprise, then, that the brand’s new compact hatch is at the centre of ŠKODA’s appearance at the Mondial in Paris. “The ŠKODA Rapid is ŠKODA’s new class and it has a central importance for our 2018 growth strategy. We think that in the years ahead, the Rapid will become our largest volume model after the Octavia,” says ŠKODA CEO Winfried Vahland. “Our new model line sets standards amongst compact hatch models and it is a ŠKODA in the best sense: roomy, elegant and affordable at the same time, a car for the whole family, with clever solutions, modern technology, high efficiency and the best price-value ratio,” says Vahland.

The ŠKODA Rapid complements ŠKODA’s model palette between the smaller ŠKODA Fabia and the larger ŠKODA Octavia. The car’s extremely generous space offering is the benchmark in the segment. No other car in the segment offers as much knee and headroom space and as large a boot volume (550 litres) as the new ŠKODA Rapid. “This is an extremely flexible hatch, and its boot has estate-car qualities,” says Vahland.

“Simply clever”: the car with the ice scraper inside the fuel filler flap

As with every ŠKODA, the subject of practicality has a special emphasis in the new ŠKODA Rapid. The new model features no less than 19 “simply clever” solutions. One example of such a solution that is especially ingenious, is the ice scraper integrated in the fuel filler flap, providing the ice scraper with a fixed space in the car, meaning no more cumbersome searches in winter. Other practical solutions include the reversible floor covering in the boot and practical holder underneath the driver’s seat for the warning vest that is mandatory in many countries.

The ŠKODA Rapid is the brand’s first series car to feature ŠKODA’s new design language: attractive, modern, clear, precise and timelessly elegant. At the centre of the car’s front is the new ŠKODA logo: a precisely executed winged arrow in chrome set on a black matte base and framed by a fine chrome line. The positioning of the car’s fog-lamps and headlights is reminiscent of a cloverleaf. The Rapid’s elegant side aspect impresses with a coupé-like silhouette and a clear division of surfaces and lines. The car’s rear end again stands for clarity, freshness and precision: the taillights show the ŠKODA-typical C-shape design in its new shape with a fine crystalline grind.

In the field of safety, the ŠKODA Rapid impresses with comprehensive active and passive safety equipment. The engine line-up in Europe includes four petrol and two diesel aggregates, with five especially efficient GreenTech variants also available from launch.

ŠKODA at the MONDIAL DE L’AUTOMOBILE 2012 in Paris:

• ŠKODA location: Pavilion 4, Stand 215
• ŠKODA press conference: Thursday 27th September 2012, 09:35 a.m.
• Number of ŠKODA vehicles on display on the first press day: 8 – all Rapid
• Number of ŠKODA vehicles on display on the second press day: 11 (5x Rapid, 1x Citigo 5 door, 1x Citigo 3 door, 1x Fabia Monte Carlo, 1x Yeti, 1x Octavia Estate vRS, 1x Superb Estate L&K)
• Number of ŠKODA vehicles on display on the general-public days: 11 (3x Rapid, 1x Citigo 5 door, 1x Citigo 3 door, 1x Fabia Monte Carlo, 1x Yeti, 1x Octavia Estate, 1x Octavia Estate vRS, 1x Superb Estate L&K, 1x Roomster)
• Press days: Thursday 27th September – Friday 28th September, 2012
• General-public days: Saturday 29th September – Sunday 14th October, 2012

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk