The new generation of Skoda Fabia is already on sale. The Czech utility vehicle will be the only representative of the Mladá Boleslav brand in the B segment, alongside the Skoda Kamiq. A report from the Czech Republic points out that the firm has renounced the future Skoda Fabia Combi 2023.
The new Skoda Fabia Combi was scheduled to be launched on the market in late 2022, but it is something that will not happen. The Mladá Boleslav brand has renounced this family body variant due to the increasingly strict limits on CO2 emissions that affect the entire model range, and that will be further toughened by the future Euro 7 standard.
This is the main reason behind the decision made by Skoda, and despite the fact that Thomas Schäfer, the head of the brand, seriously bet on keeping a new Fabia Combi for sale. And it is that the market situation has also been taken into account, with a clear trend for SUVs that capture more customer attention than a small family. A body that has been common among the most important generalists but that with the B-SUVs were removed from the middle.
Tough emission limits kill the Skoda Fabia Combi
Recently, Skoda has taken the lead in the development of the smallest models based on the MQB A0 platform, an architecture that today It does not have a family variant and that the brand would be forced to expressly modify for a single model -the Fabia Combi- considering that its sales would not compensate the technical and financial effort invested.
The report from a Czech source notes that the manufacturer’s management has addressed its employees in a letter justifying the decision by stating that “The extremely strict Euro 7 emissions standard is now drastically accelerating the transformation process towards electro-mobility. Not only do we need more electric cars, but we also have to say goodbye to some internal combustion engine products faster than planned. Therefore, together we have decided to constantly invest in the future and say goodbye in time to internal combustion engine models like the Skoda Fabia Combi».
The firm plans to launch new electric models until 2025, with two models below the Enyaq IV and two others above, with one practically on the verge of being unveiled, the Enyaq iV Coupé that will go on sale next spring. Now, the question is whether the manufacturer will lengthen the commercial life cycle, and the production, beyond the end of 2022 or will cease as scheduled.