Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Skoda Yeti Confirmed For 2010, FWD And AWD Variants Planned

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SKODA AUSTRALIA has confirmed that the versatile Yeti crossover is on its way, and it’s gunning for a significant slice of the small softroader market.

The Yeti will be in Australian showrooms in mid to late 2010. Skoda expects to be able to offer it in both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive variants.

“Yeti is obviously a priority for us… we’ll be looking at (its arrival) sometime next year,” Head of Skoda Australia Matthew Wiesner said yesterday.

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Engine choices for the local market have yet to be confirmed. But with the Yeti offering a 77kW 1.2 litre and a 118kW 1.8 litre petrol engine alongside three 2.0 litre turbo-diesels in Europe, the focus will undoubtedly be on frugality, not rock-hopping grunt.

The 1.2 TSI petrol is available only as a front-driver, as is the lower-spec 81kW 2.0 TDI. The rest of the Yeti range will be all-wheel-drive and, coupled with the crossover wagon’s tall ride height, should allow some limited off-road thrills.

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The Yeti’s launch date is still too distant to speculate on pricing or trim levels, but Skoda Australia aims to offer a comprehensive level of standard equipment across the Yeti range.

A precise retail sticker price has not yet been decided, but Mr Weisner confirmed that the FWD Yeti line-up will start below $30,000.

The rest of the range will be priced similarly to the Volkswagen Tiguan, with which it shares much of its 4Motion all-wheel-drive underpinnings.

With its urban utility and genuine off-road ability, Skoda is optimistic that the Yeti will quickly become one of its best-selling models in Australia.

“We’ll probably do around 1000 Octavias this year,” Mr Weisner said in a recent interview with Carsguide.com.au.

“I think it will give a similar or greater contribution. It will give us a big lift in a relatively short period of time.”