Erm... is this a rehash of the Up!?
Yup, since Skoda is the Czech arm of the Volkswagen Group. The Citigo city car you see in these official pictures is based on the VW Up! which made a splash at the Frankfurt motor show earlier this month.
A five-door will come next year to join this three-door.
Developing A-segment cars is a very sensitive business case for manufacturers, so it is imperative that economies of scale be boosted _ by as much as possible.
The next VW Group member likely to get the credentials of the Up! is Seat, the Spanish offshoot of VW Group that once sold an A-car in the mould of the Arosa.
Moreover, there's a rumour in Europe that Audi would make an upmarket all-electric version of the Up! called E1 sitting below the electric A2, due in 2013.
OK. What's unique about the Citigo?
Hardly anything, we're afraid. The Citigo shares basically the same dimensions with the Up!, that is, length: 3.56m, width: 1.65m, and height: 1.48m.
A three-door version _ as seen here _ goes on sale first before a five-door variant comes next year. To give a better perspective, the Citigo is the size of the Honda Brio.
The Citigo's engines are identical to the Up!, too, including a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine developing either 60hp or 75hp and good for 23.8kpl and 21.3kpl respectively.
The Citigo also features the automatic braking system (at below 30kph) of the Up! which is a distinctive feature in the A-segment class.
The only difference from the Up! are obviously the Citigo's front end and badges. It's also likely that the Skoda will be slightly cheaper than the Vee-Dub.
Can it qualify for the first-time car buyer policy?
Even if the government decided to allow imports to enjoy excise tax reduction, given its affinity for populist policies, it will be tough for Skoda to price the Citigo under 1 million baht.
Currently, the Skoda importer in Thailand sells the B-segment Fabia for 1.48 million baht in 1.4-litre petrol form.
Sure, Skoda could price the Citigo at 999,999 baht. But the equipment level would be spartan (but the rear windshield wiper stays in the interest of driving safety) and there won't be an automatic gearbox, either.
Why is the price so high, you might ask? That's because the Citigo _ just like all other Skodas on sale in Thailand _ is slapped with 80% import duty. Because of that, first-time car buyers are unlikely to get attracted to an import costing double the Brio.
Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)
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