Skoda’s head designer talks about the new Skoda Fabia and why it heralds a new, more exciting period for the ‘functional’ car maker.
SKODA HAS RELEASED official images of its new small car, the Fabia which shows off Skoda’s new design language, which was hinted at by its VisionC concept shown earlier in the year. According to Skoda’s head designer, Jozef Kabaň, the new Fabia “Fabia is more expressive, more dynamic and sportier” which were all, he says, elements revealed in the VisionC.
According to Kabaň, the look of Skodas going forward will become more emotive. “In recent years, Skoda has made a name for itself by producing cars with great functionality and above-average interior space.
“We sense that now is the right time to create a stronger connection between the functionality of our cars and an expressive and emotional design. You could say, that we are taking steps back to our roots. Skoda has a tradition of building design-oriented cars which are full of emotion, such as the legendary Skoda Monte Carlo in the 1930s. We want to live up to these standards today.”
While we’ve yet to see for ourselves, Kabaň says the shift to make Skoda vehicles look more exciting won’t come at the expense of function.
“In spite of all its emotionality, the Skoda Fabia remains more than true to its fundamental virtues and is more spacious, practical, economical and clever than ever before.
“Despite its more dynamic design, we have increased the space in a number of important areas. The boot is bigger and has the largest capacity in its class, the interior is both wider and longer. In addition, we offer up to ten new ‘Simply Clever’ solutions, including MirrorLink technology, available in a Skoda vehicle for the first time, to connect a smartphone to the vehicle.
“Furthermore, this compact car is up to 17% more economical and has innovative assistance systems from higher class cars. Our new Fabia proves that emotionality and functionality complement each other perfectly.
From a design perspective, Skoda set out to make the third-generation Fabia look more aggressive, Kabaň says.
“The new Skoda Fabia is flatter and wider than before, giving it a fuller stance on the road. It also has sharp edges, clear lines and features crystalline design elements.
“We designed the grille and the headlights so they appear optically stronger as a graphical unit. This makes the car appear wider, as does the powerfully-contoured bonnet with the two distinctive beadings on the sides. The wide and precision-cut headlights, alongside the width-enhancing fog lights, add to this effect. The clear horizontal structure of the back of the car also demonstrates strength. The powerful silhouette, together with the high, sharp tornado line creates more dynamics.
And, in a nod to the Czech republic’s Bohemian crystal heritage, Kabaň says: “The sharp lines, the clear contouring and the fine cut of the new Fabia’s headlights pay homage to the Czech tradition of glass art, and high degree of precision as well as high-quality finish stand out”.
