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Skoda Could Use Biological Raw Materials In Its Vehicles’ Interiors

In researching ways to make its vehicles more sustainable, Skoda has come up with a pair of new interior materials it says could help shorten supply chains and take advantage of byproducts from other industries.

Skoda has already filed a patent application for the first, a material made from the pulp of sugar beets. The company says it uses a special process to dye the pulp, which can then be used to create design accents for the interior.

Better still, the beets come from Dobrovice, near Skoda’s Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic, headquarters. That means that on top of utilizing a byproduct that might otherwise be discarded, simply getting it to the factory emits less CO2.

The second product is still in the investigation stage but it utilizes miscanthus, a type of reed grass. The grass grows quickly, sequestering CO2 along the way. Again, Skoda is taking advantage of a byproduct, as the grass is often used as a biofuel and residue can be processed into trim pieces.

To demonstrate the quality of the materials, Skoda has created an Octavia whose floor and right-side doors are missing to make its interior more visible. With trim pieces in the dashboard made of beets, and door cards and A-pillars trimmed with the reeds, the demonstrator shows how the automaker could make attractive interiors that are more sustainable.

Along with the new materials, the car also uses trim pieces made of 100 percent new wool that is certified by The Woolmark Company and fabrics made of recycled PET bottles. All of which is being done in an effort to allow Skoda to unshackle itself from the use of plastic and leather.

“We aim to play a pioneering role in the area of sustainability,” said Johannes Neft, Skoda’s head of technical development. “We are taking a holistic approach to this issue, and we are addressing much more than just the CO2 emissions of our vehicle fleet; we are also focusing on researching and using ecologically sourced materials and investigating, for example, how materials such as coconut fibers or rice husks can be used in the future.”

2021 Skoda Fabia Gets Larger Footprint, Petrol-Only Powertrains And Clever Features

Skoda invited a handful of journalists to Austria to experience the new generation Fabia first-hand prior to its unveiling this spring.

The prototypes used in this hands-on experience wore reptile-inspired camo with an abstract pattern created by designer Daniel Petr, which does a good job at keeping the most important visual aspects hidden.

Exterior styling and dimensions

Still, we can see that the grille is a bit bigger and is flanked by slender headlamps with integrated LED DRLs. The lower air intake features active slats, like on the bigger Octavia. The new taillights, which partially protrude into the tailgate, look different than the ones used on the Scala compact hatchback, and the reflectors now sit further up. Completing the exterior makeover will be the new wheel designs.

“The basis of the idea was that we imagined the car being revealed gradually, like a snake shedding its skin”, Petr said. “It’s going to be a very good-looking compact car with a clean and modern design that will raise the Fabia to the next level.”

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Built on the Volkswagen Group’s MQB A0 platform, shared with its Volkswagen Polo and Seat Ibiza “cousins”, Skoda’s all-new subcompact hatchback, which will be followed by the estate version probably next year, has a bigger overall footprint. It is 4,107 mm (161.7 in) long and 1,780 mm (70.1 in) wide, 110 and 48 mm (4.3-1.9 in) longer and wider than its predecessor, and the wheelbase has grown by 94 mm (3.7 in) to 2,564 mm (100.1 in) – identical to the Ibiza and 16 mm (0.6 in) longer than the Polo.

At 380 liters (13.4 cu-ft), the boot volume is also bigger, and despite these changes, the weight has only slightly gone up, Skoda notes, adding that the car has the smallest drag coefficient (0.28) in the subcompact segment.

The cockpit

The new interior has yet to be revealed, yet those who drove it said that it features a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster and a 6.8-inch standard touchscreen infotainment system that’s upgradable to 9.2 inches. Up to nine airbags, most of them offered from the base variant, are also included, and all passenger seats feature ISOFIX fittings and tether anchors for child seats.

The parking card holder and ice-scraper in the fuel tank cap are still present, and the new Fabia also has a USB-C connector in the rearview mirror to power dashboard cameras, and 12 (out of 43) ‘Simply Clever’ solutions, including a pouch beneath the luggage compartment shelf that supports up to 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs).

Another novelty is the introduction of the Travel Assist package, which brings automated driving functions to the 2021 Fabia by using the data obtained from the camera in the rearview mirror with the Predictive Cruise Control, Lane Assist, Traffic Jam Assist, Emergency Assist and Predictive Cruise Control. Moreover, the new Fabia will also have an automated parking function.

Three engine options – and no diesel in sight

The fourth generation Fabia will be offered with a choice of three engines, with a 1.0-liter naturally aspirated three-cylinder making 65 PS (64 HP / 48 kW) and 80 PS (79 HP / 59 kW) coupled to a five-speed manual gearbox used in the base models.

A turbocharged 1.0-liter three-cylinder TSI, with 95 PS (94 HP / 70 kW) and 110 PS (109 HP / 81 kW) respectively, will be available for the mid-range grades, with the former paired to a five-speed manual and the latter coming with a standard six-speed manual or an optional seven-speed DSG transmission.

The most powerful 2021 Fabia will pack a 150 PS (147 HP / 110 kW) 1.5-liter TSI mated to a seven-speed DSG.

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Next-Generation Skoda Fabia To Keep Wagon Body Style

While some might argue that Europe’s small station wagons are a bit pointless, Skoda’s offering has always performed well in terms of sales.

With that in mind, the company has decided to keep the Fabia Combi variant going into this next-generation cycle, with the new model set to debut sometime next year, as reported by Autonews Europe.

“We will again have a combi [wagon] version,” confirmed Skoda CEO Thomas Schaefer last week. “This is very important to us because it underlines our commitment to offering affordable, practical mobility in the entry-level segments.”

The Czech carmaker said earlier this year that the Combi model accounted for 34 percent of the Fabia’s overall sales, which isn’t bad considering that small non-premium wagon models have pretty much gone extinct.

Skoda has been selling a wagon version of the Fabia ever since the nameplate’s inception in 2000. In its 20 years of existence, 1.5 million Fabia Combi units have made their way from the factory floor and into the hands of customers, usually small families or people in need of a little more trunk volume than the Fabia hatchback could provide.

Once the new Fabia Combi arrives, it will have the segment all to itself thanks to Renault and Peugeot dropping out, and Dacia planning to ditch the Logan MCV (which is not quite a direct rival though).

Overall, the Fabia remains Skoda’s no.2-selling nameplate in Europe with 81,098 new registrations in the first 10 months of this year. Their best-selling car is the Octavia, with 145,959 units delivered through October.

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