New Skoda Fabia is named What Car? Car of the Year 2015

The new Skoda Fabia has won the prestigious overall What Car? Car of the Year 2015 award. The Fabia was also named ‘Best Small Car’, by the highly rated UK publication, and the Octavia was also named ‘Best Family Car’.

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It’s the second time that Skoda’s popular small car has won the top prize – the first generation Fabia won the award back in 2000. The new model, which was revealed to the public at the Paris Motor Show last October, and is in Irish showrooms now – is the third-generation of Skoda’s popular small car.

Available in five-door hatch and (from 9th February) Combi version, the new Fabia introduces innovative safety, comfort and infotainment systems to the segment. It features an expressive, dynamic design with smooth proportions, crystalline shapes and clear-cut lines. The new Fabia is also more spacious, stronger and more efficient than its predecessor, thanks both to significant weight-saving and the introduction of cleaner EU6-compliant engines that help to make it up to 17 per cent more efficient.

The award was collected by Skoda CEO Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland, who said: ‘The new Fabia is, in every respect, simply more car and offers both innovative technology and emotionally-charged design. It is ideal for the modern, urban mobility of today. We are very confident that the new Fabia will write another chapter in the model’s success story, win over new customer groups and, as an important pillar of our growth strategy, further strengthen the brand.’

What Car? editor Jim Holder said: ‘The Fabia wins not only because it’s a superb small car that’s practical, well equipped and cheap to run, but also because of the rivals it has managed to dispose of in the process. When you consider the strength of the competition the new Fabia has had to beat to top its class, it simply has to win.’

Raymond Leddy, Head of Marketing & Product, Skoda Ireland said: ‘We are delighted to see the new Fabia claim such a prestigious award. The Fabia is a completely new car. It is not a facelift but is entirely new inside and out, utilising the latest engines and technologies to provide the best Fabia ever. Our new 1.0-litre, 60bhp petrol unit delivers surprising performance with superior acceleration and economy when compared to the comparable engine offered in the previous model.’
The Skoda brand in Ireland has demonstrated its strength with record sales in Ireland of 6,310 overtaking the previous record set during the boom year of 2007 (6,280). This represents an increase of 27 per cent when compared to full year sales of 4,950 in 2013.

Full list of What Car? Car of the Year Awards winners

1 CITY CAR Winner : Hyundai i10 1.2 Premium

2 SMALL CAR Winner : Skoda Fabia 1.2 TSI 90 SE

3 FAMILY CAR Winner : Skoda Octavia 1.2 TSI 105 SE

4 ELECTRIC CAR Winner : Audi A3 e-tron

5 COUPE Winner : Audi TT 2.0 TFSI Sport

6 ESTATE CAR Winner : Ford Mondeo Estate 1.6 TDCi 120 Econetic Zetec

7 MPV Winner : Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 e-HDi 115 Exclusive

8 HOT HATCH Winner : Ford Fiesta ST-2

9 CONVERTIBLE Winner : Audi A3 Cabriolet 1.4 TFSI 150 Sport

10 SMALL SUV Winner : Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi 110 N-tec 2WD

11 LARGE SUV Winner : Range Rover Sport SDV6 HSE

12 EXECUTIVE CAR Winner : BMW 520d SE automatic

13 SPORTS CAR Winner : Porsche Boxster 2.7

14 LUXURY CAR Winner : Mercedes-Benz S350 CDI Bluetec L SE Line

15 SAFETY Winner : Land Rover Discovery Sport

16 READER AWARD Winner : Honda HR-V

17 CAR OF THE YEAR Winner : Skoda Fabia

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