Next-Gen Skoda Fabia Unveiled In Prototype Form; Could Be Headed To India

Skoda dropped a teaser of the fourth-generation Fabia a couple of weeks ago, and now, the carmaker has unveiled the Fabia in flesh in prototype form. The fourth-gen Skoda Fabia will be based on VW Group's smallest modular platform, the MQB-AO platform, and thanks to that, it has grown considerably in size. Ahead of its global debut in the second quarter of 2021, the carmaker has revealed several details about the upcoming hatchback, including what will be under the hood. Let's take a closer look at what's in store.

The next-gen Skoda Fabia will measure 4,107mm in length, 1,780mm in width, 1,460mm in height and will have a wheelbase of 2,564mm. Compared to the third-gen model - which was skipped for India - just in length and width, the upcoming Fabia has grown by 110mm and 48mm respectively. The wheelbase, meanwhile, has gone up by 94mm. The new Fabia will have a boot capacity of 380 litres, which again has increased by 50 litres. Surprisingly, Skoda claims that the new Fabia is pretty close to the outgoing version in terms of weight, despite considerable increase in dimensions.

The prototype model that Skoda has previewed came heavily draped in camouflage. However, there are certain design details that are still evident. Apart from the increased dimensions, the new Fabia looks a lot more sharper than the outgoing model. At the front, the hatchback gets a pair of sharper LED headlights that extend to the butterfly radiator grille.

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At the rear too, the LED tail lamps look sharper and the roof spoiler also seems more prominent than before. Skoda says the sharper design has made the Fabia more aerodynamically efficient, reducing the drag co-efficient from 0.32 to 0.28. There are even actively adjustable cooling shutters in the front bumper’s lower air intake that aids aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.

Skoda is, however, yet to share images of the interior of the Fabia. The carmaker has, however, revealed that the Fabia will come equipped with a Virtual Cockpit digital driver’s display as well as a central touchscreen infotainment system. Given the increase in size, the Fabia should have a generous amount of space on the inside.

Some other highlights of the Fabia's interiors will be what Skoda calls ‘Simply Clever’ features. These include a folding backrest for the front passenger seat, two smartphone storage pockets on the front seat backs, a removable sun visor for the panoramic roof, USB-C socket on the rear view mirror that could be used to power a dashcam, and a removable cup holder. As for safety features, the Fabia will come equipped with up to nine airbags and driver assist features such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning, park assist, and traffic sign recognition.

Under the hood, the next-gen Fabia will have a wide array of engine options. The range starts with a 1.0L MPI engine that will come in two states of tune: 65hp/95Nm and 80hp/95Nm. This engine will come mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. Next up is the 1.0L TSI engine that will also come in two states of tune - 95hp/175Nm and 110hp/200Nm. While the former will be offered with a 5-speed manual gearbox, the latter will be offered with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG automatic transmission. There will also be a larger 1.5L TSI engine that produces 150hp and 250Nm of peak torque and will come mated to the 7-speed DSG automatic transmission.

The new Fabia will also feature active cylinder technology that shuts off two cylinders when the engine load is low to reduce fuel consumption. Since VW Group already has a localized version of the MQB-A0 platform in India, called the MQB-A0-IN, the next-gen Fabia could very well make its way to India, possibly powered by the 1.0L TSI engine that's also manufactured here. We could get the new Fabia here by 2022 alongside the new Polo, joining the premium hatchback segment.

Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Skoda updates and other four-wheeler news.