Economy driving world champion Gerhard Plattner has taken a Skoda Fabia GreenLine from Austria to Denmark and back, a distance of 2,006 km, on just one 45 litre tankful of diesel. The Austrian began his journey on May 10 in Reutte, Austria, and made his way to Bov, Denmark before travelling back, mainly using Germany’s longest motorway, the A 7, for his trip.

The result means the 1.2 litre diesel-powered car achieved a record-low consumption of 2.21 litres per 100 km, a significant jump from the Europe-standardised model’s already frugal consumption of 3.4 l/100 km. The refuelling, as well as Plattner’s whole trip, were supervised by International Police Motor Corporation (IPMC), which also sealed the fuel tank before Plattner set out from Reutte.

According to Autocar, Skoda is set to launch its version of Volkswagen’s Up! city car later this year, and this will be joined by a new small sedan that will sit in between the Fabia and Octavia.

Skoda chairman Winfried Krause confirmed the plans to introduce the two models at the company’s annual press conference, and said the City Car was to answer to the increasingly strong demand for small cars with low fuel consumption and affordable running costs.

The cars’ styling will contain design cues seen in the Vision D design concept revealed in Geneva earlier in the month, and the company adds that the vehicles will adhere to the brand’s ‘simply clever’ tagline of offering practical vehicles with oodles of space and an outstanding price to value ratio.

Some bring concept cars, others bring new models, but Škoda has brought a new logo to Geneva. To be used globally on all models from 2012, the new logo is a more modern looking and simplified version of the old one.

The ‘Skoda Auto’ words have been removed, and the main winged arrow element is now larger. The green colour has been changed to a more vibrant ‘Skoda Green’ hue while the circle has a chrome outline. The new logo is part of a new corporate design for its outlets and materials.

Besides that, Škoda also unveiled the VisionD concept at Geneva. It’s an Octavia-sized car that shows us the brand’s future design direction. An evolution from the current look, it’s very modern but still clearly recognisable as a Škoda. The VisionD’s long wheelbase and short overhangs are a “prerequisite for successful automotive architecture” as they benefit both cabin space and, coupled with a dynamic roof line, looks.

Up front, the new logo stands out as the starting point for all contours. It intersects the horizontal line of the bonnet and sits on top of a grille that’s “unobtrusively shiny”. The headlights are reminiscent of a symbolic four-leaf clover, Škoda says. The C-shaped rear lights meanwhile have become a trademark of sorts, and is the rear section’s defining element.

More pics after the jump.
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This is the special edition Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo, created to celebrate the 100th year of the legendary Monte Carlo Rally which happens this month. It also celebrates the brand’s 110th anniversary of participating in motorsports – yes, Skoda has been around that long!

The red Fabia is dressed up with black exterior trim on the wheel arches, roof, door mirror covers, radiator grill top, and even the 17 inch Trinity alloys. The headlamps are smoked to make them look sportier. On the inside, you can choose eitherall-black or combination red/black sport seats, a perforated leather steering wheel with red stitching, leather handbrake and gearstick gaiter with red stitching. There are also silver kick panels and steel pedals.

Skoda’s Rallye Monte Carlo entrant is the Skoda Fabia S2000, and their team did decently in 2010, finishing second, third and fifth (in class) with Hänninen, Vouilloz and Kopecký, respectively. Danny will be in Monte Carlo to cheer on our very own Proton Satria Neo S2000 rally cars, so expect some live coverage of the rally.

A Fabia “Plus” or a Fabia Sedan soon?

Skoda is planning a new model to fit between the compact Fabia hatchback (Polo based) and the Octavia sedan (Jetta, Golf based). The new vehicle has been given a codename of A Entry for now and the focus would be to price it affordably – around US$13,650. The new model will be aimed at lower income customers looking for a larger family car than what a typical Fabia-class vehicle would offer.

I am guessing that would only mean a new small sedan based on the Fabia platform, perhaps with the wheelbase lengthened a little. As it is, Volkswagen makes a sedan version of the Polo for certain emerging markets and calls it the Polo Classic.

When the new Polo was announced, a report claimed that Volkswagen was planning a larger “Polo Plus” and a “Polo Sedan” for the US market, as the Polo was just too small a car for American tastes. The Polo Plus was to have a price tag of US$13,000 to US$15,000. Skoda’s version can be a more budget oriented version of this Polo Plus/Polo Sedan, if it is priced “around” US$13,000 as the mid price point.

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