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.
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.
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.”
