A brief timeline of the Skoda Fabia.
A concise history of the Skoda Fabia hatchback.
Originally regarded as the geeky younger brother in the car industry, Skoda have managed to shed their old fashioned image in recent years and are now regarded as one of the major players in the car market. One of the models which has undoubtedly helped them to achieve this title is the Skoda Fabia.
First released in 1999, the Skoda Fabia was introduced as a successor to the popular Skoda Felicia and made its debut at the 1999 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Fabia was available in a range of formats from the 1.0 8v Classic to the 1.9 PD TDi vRS and was viewed as a cheaper, smaller alternative to the popular Volkswagen Lupo.
The model was the first car to use the Volkswagen Group’s A04 platform, and its integration of VW parts is seen as part of the reason for its success within both the UK and European markets. In fact, the Fabia was so successful that within its first year of release it was named as the “Car of the Year” by WhatCar? in 2000.
The Mark 1 Fabia was available in a range of body styles including estate, hatchback and saloon and available in three main trim levels – Classic, Comfort and Elegance. Although successful in many markets, the Fabia received a much-needed facelift in 2005. The revamped Fabia included new front fog lights, rear lights and a new steering wheel.
The second generation Fabia was officially introduced to the world at the Geneva Auto Show in March 2007. Slightly larger than the Mark 1, the new Fabia was marketed as part of Skoda’s “Cake” campaign – the TV advert showed the Skoda Fabia being manufactured using different cake components. The Mark 2 Fabia was available in three four different trim levels – Classic, Ambiente, Sport and Elegance – and passed the Euro NCAP car safety tests with flying colours.