New ŠKODA Octavia RS

Fastest Octavia of all time debuts at “Goodwood Festival of Speed”. 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds; 248 km/h top speed. New engines: more speed, more power, more efficiency. Distinctive appearance and innovative progressive steering. The new ŠKODA Octavia RS is the star at this year’s “Goodwood Festival of Speed”. On July 10th, the eve of this legendary motorsport event, ŠKODA will fittingly present its new compact sports model on the racetrack and beside it. The fastest Octavia of all time is the most recent model in the largest model offensive in the company’s history, impressing both as a saloon and an estate with powerful yet efficient engines, a sporty, attractive design, new RS wheels and innovative technology. “The new Octavia RS is about pure emotion and brings ŠKODA’s concentrated power to the road. This makes Goodwood the perfect setting for the debut of the fastest Octavia of all time,” says ŠKODA CEO Winfried Vahland. “More than 100,000 visitors, fascinating motorsport that you can touch, automobile traditions and enthusiasm – it is this unique mixture which creates the charm of Goodwood. The new Octavia RS will be the highlight of this motorsport feast,” says Vahland. The RS is the top model in the Octavia line and the most powerful series ŠKODA Octavia ever, providing hands-on experience of the brand’s expertise in motorsports, which ŠKODA has been confirming on the world’s most demanding circuits for 112 years, as evidenced by its victory at the 1977 Monte Carlo Rally and success in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge IRC. Three consecutive wins from 2010 through 2012 and 27 individual victories since 2009 have made ŠKODA the most successful brand in IRC history. In addition, 2012 saw the brand win in the European Rally Championship, the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) and six national rally championships, making it one of the most successful years in ŠKODA motorsport history. Its performance data and its high everyday utility mean Octavia RS sets standards in the sports compact category both as a saloon and as an estate. The new Octavia RS will accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds. Top speed in the 162 kW (220 HP) 2.0 TSI petrol engine-version with manual transmission is 248 km/h. Compared to the second-generation Octavia RS, the new engines have up to ten per cent more displacement permitting significantly higher power output while still lowering fuel consumption by up to 19 per cent. The ŠKODA Octavia RS’s new progressive steering lets drivers achieve a desired turning radius with smaller movements of the steering wheel resulting in less repositioning of the hands in tight curves. In addition, the new model boasts all the outstanding qualities of the new ŠKODA Octavia: supreme functionality, ample space, top-notch safety, cutting-edge assistance systems for safety and comfort, numerous “Simply Clever” solutions such as the ice scraper in the fuel filler flap or the warning vest below the driver seat, as well as an excellent price/value ratio. Launch of the new ŠKODA Octavia RS in European markets is set for July and will begin in Great Britain. The design of the new ŠKODA Octavia RS speaks style and class, for instance at the front in the interplay of ŠKODA’s characteristic grille, air intakes with their hive structure, new front apron and RS-design fog lamps as well as new bi-xenon headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights, now standard. The car’s side aspect is marked by lowered clearance and by the new 17-, 18- and 19-inch alloy wheels. The rear is dominated by a distinctive black diffusor element, broad reflectors and two large-bore chrome exhaust end pipes as well as standard LED tail lights in brand-typical C design and a rear spoiler. A sporty black design marks the interior of the Octavia RS including new ambient lights in the door handles, new RS-design sports seats and a sporty three-spoke steering wheel with perforated leather. The shift knob and the handbrake handle are also leather, while the door sills and pedals are stainless steel. Since 1993, the “Goodwood Festival of Speed” has been a special homage to motorsport. The race itself, a 1.7 kilometre hillclimb event, takes place rather in the background while racing and sports cars, racing motorcycles and rally cars from all ages are on display. Since 2007, the festival has included a competition dedicated to rally cars and held on a rally course. The new Octavia RS will see its debut on the track at Goodwood on July 10th. Source: skoda-auto