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VW Singapore plots Skoda comeback Volkswagen-owned Czech brand Skoda is making a comeback, yet again. But this time, it is parent group Volkswagen which will do its own importing and retailing here. Volkswagen Group Singapore - the manufacturer-owned importer and retailer of Volkswagen vehicles here - has registered a new company for this purpose. According to the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, Skoda Centre Singapore was registered last month and will be operating out of 247 Alexandra Road, which is the same address as the VW showroom. The Straits Times understands renovations are being carried out at the facility and that Skoda Centre Singapore will start operations in the first quarter of next year. Volkswagen Group Singapore was not available for comment, but it is understood that a meaningful price differential will be in place to re-launch the Czech brand here. Previously, Skoda cars - which are based on Volkswagens - were the same price or even costlier than equivalent VW models. In other markets, Skodas are cheaper. The brand was last represented by Harvest Automobiles, part of businessman Peter Kwee's now dormant motor group of companies. Harvest Automobiles went bust in 2013 - the third Skoda agency to have failed in Singapore. The Straits Times understands Vertex Automobiles, the dealer for Chinese automobile brand Chery that is owned by egg trader Lian Fong, had made a pitch for the Skoda franchise. But it has since landed Seat, a Spanish brand also owned by Volkswagen Group. Skoda had also been courting Trans Eurokars, a multi-franchise group owned by businessman Karsono Kwee. Among its brands are Rolls-Royce, Porsche, Mini and Mazda. The best year for the Skoda brand here was 2010, when it sold 105 cars. That is less than 4 per cent of Volkswagen sales last year. Will the brand have better success under Volkswagen? Nanyang Business School's Adjunct Associate Professor Zafar Momin, previously an automotive expert with the Boston Consulting Group, said: "Skoda may be able to make a comeback in Singapore if priced and promoted properly. It needs to be very competitive with its Korean competitors in terms of pricing, as it could provide solid, competitive products targeted at value segments of the markets. "With VW Singapore now doing it themselves, it has a better chance than before. Having said that, I wonder what "comeback" really means in a small crowded Singapore car market which has small volumes for many non-mainstream brands. Would it really be worth the effort and to what extent would it cannibalise VW products?" When contacted back in 2014 - when Harvest Automobiles relinquished the business - Volkswagen Group Singapore said it had no plans to take over the Skoda retail business here. It has, however, taken over the maintenance and warranty of Skodas here. There are about 400 Skoda cars in Singapore today. As a onwer of both Skoda and VW model, I can attest that Skoda is indeed better, in almost every aspect, than VW. I can wait to welcome it back to Singapore!! Here are some interesting models in current Skoda lineup, that I hope can be made available to local motorist when sales start next year. Superb Superb Combi Kodiaq

@AriesGoat hey bro. Any latest news for the VRS estate launch? Saw the 2 mk4 red sedan and estate on a trailer last week.

The Skoda Karoq will launch this May with an all-new exterior design, advanced driver assistance technology and four new turbocharged engines. Ditching the unique exterior shape of its predecessor, the Yeti, for a more conventional SUV body, the Karoq shares many features with the larger Kodiaq, which it sits below in Skoda’s line-up. The Karoq has space for five passengers and has a boot capacity of 521 litres or 1630 litres with the back seats folded down. This comfortably beats the car’s main rival, the Nissan Qashqai, which offers 430 and 1585 litres respectively. Built on the Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform, shared with models such as the Audi Q2 and Seat Ateca, the Karoq comes with a choice of five turbocharged engines, four of which are new to Skoda. The new petrol engines are an entry-level 1.0-litre TSI three-cylinder with 113bhp and 129lb ft and a 1.5-litre TSI with 148bhp and 184lb ft, with the latter enabling an 8.4sec 0-62mph time and featuring active cylinder technology. There’s a new diesel 1.6-litre TDI that produces 113bhp and 184lb ft while emitting just 118g/km of CO2, and a new 2.0-litre TDI that outputs 187bhp and 295lb ft, enabling a 7.8sec 0-62mph time – the quickest available. These new Skoda units are joined by a 2.0-litre TDI that’s familiar to the brand, which produces 148bhp and is the most fuel-efficient engine, offering 64.2mpg combined and outputting 115g/km CO2. The Karoq comes in two and four-wheel drive guises and with a choice of a six-speed manual of seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox. In higher-spec it comes with Skoda’s Drive Mode Select system, which enables the car’s drivetrain to be switched through Normal, Sport, Eco, Individual and Snow. Driver assist systems include a radar-based adaptive cruise control, blind spot detect and front assist, which includes automatic city braking with a pedestrian braking system. There’s also hill hold control to prevent roll back and emergency assistance, which can intervene if the driver becomes incapable of driving and adaptive cruise control and lane assist are on. In-car, technology includes gesture control for certain functions, wireless phone charging, as well as a mobile online connection that works with the infotainment. In top spec, the infotainment has a screen of up to 9.2in and three other displays, including a new digital instrument cluster that makes its debut in a Skoda. Skoda is yet to confirm pricing, but the Karoq’s expected to follow the brand’s aggressive pricing strategy and undercut the Nissan Qashqai, and therefore stick closely to the current model's £17,770 starting price. The Kodiaq, which starts at £21,565, is around £1300 cheaper than its main rival, the Nissan X-Trail.

[FB Live] Make the ŠMART Move at sgCarMart! feat Julian & Idris! Come register and RSVP your interest here! We are back online! sgCarMart & myCarForum are bringing the showroom at the comfort and safety of your own home with our very first Facebook Live! This time around, more prizes, more lucky draw and discounted prices and ŠMART gadgets worth up to $1,500 that we have managed to secure just for our inaugural Facebook Live Event! At the comfort of your home, get ready your electronic devices as we head down to ŠKODA Singapore Showroom to find out more about ŠKODA OCTAVIA and ŠKODA KAROQ! You can ask question and comment at the luxury of your couch with your leg on the ottoman! Come register and RSVP your interest here! 1st Facebook LIVE by sgCarMart! We have also invited our sgCarMart reviews team to host the event live! More about our hosts! Julian, sgCarMart Editor Standing at just 155cm tall, pint-sized Julian is alot shorter than you think, but he has a big heart for cars. That sort of makes up for what he lacks. Idris, sgCarMart Senior Automotive Journalist While the world moves towards being more ‘car-lite', Idris firmly believes that cars might cease to exist, and we all should celebrate cars as much as we can. What can you expect during the FB Live? 10 lucky viewers who comment, like or share will stand a chance to win a Grocery voucher from the sponsor! Get Bacta-X Antibacterial Air Freshener (250ml) worth $28 for the first 100 registrants. Answer and win! We will be organising a live quiz, with Q&A during our FB live and there will be attractive prizes worth up to $600 to be won! Lucky draw at the end of the event (There will be 3 lucky winners!) Exclusive MarkDown Price for ŠKODA OCTAVIA and ŠKODA KAROQ, all you need to do is to get your friends and family to watch together! Come register and RSVP your interest here! Where and When? RSVP here and go to our Facebook page to watch the live show on 3rd Sept 2020, 8 pm! For all the smartie out there, you will not want to miss this! Come register and RSVP your interest here!

The first ever sgCarMart E-MarkDown with Skoda saw over 500 viewers introduced to the best deals online through an engaging Facebook live session. Nothing can stop sgCarMart and Skoda from getting the best deals for its members and followers. That is why, in post-pandemic 2020, the first-ever sgCarMart E-MarkDown event was kicked off with a Facebook livestream at the familiar Skoda showroom at 26 Leng Kee Road, hosted by the entertaining duo, Julian and Idris, from sgCarMart's Editorial Team. If you are familiar with the past sgCarMart and MyCarForum MarkDown events, you will know that it is the one to attend if you are seeking the best deals on any car purchased. The E-MarkDown event does the same, allowing you to enjoy the same great deals and attractive prizes from the comfort and safety of your home, on a virtual livestream. Without "wasting any youth" (as Julian often quotes), the Octavia's enormous boot was put in the spotlight. With 590 litres of boot space, it offers more stowage capacity than larger cars such as the Toyota Camry! Viewers were invited to like, share and comment 'Skoda Smart' on the livestream to stand a chance to win grocery vouchers worth up to $100! The dynamic duo moved on to introduce the abundant features in the Skoda Octavia, including 7 airbags which ensure the safety of driver and passengers. With lucky winners of the Octavia quiz selected, the special, special price of the Octavia Ambition and Ambition Plus were revealed - starting from just $99,900! The first 20 viewers who commented "Octavia Now" will also be getting an Apple iPad Pro worth $1,500 with their purchase of an Octavia! The next ride of the day was the mighty Skoda Karoq, the perfect SUV for the modern family. The Karoq Ambition was also up for grabs at a special price of $116,900, the first 20 viewers who commented "Karoq Now" will also be getting an Apple iPad Pro worth $1,500 with their purchase of athe Karoq! Talk about a great deal! It even comes with a seatbelt for man's best friend, Doggo! The VarioFlex seats in the Karoq also ensures maximum versatility with independently adjustable and removable seats at the rear. The evening ended with three extremely lucky winners who stayed with our lovable hosts till the end and walked away with $100 grocery vouchers each! Hoping it was you who walked away with a big prize? Be sure to join us at the next sgCarMart E-MarkDown stream! Missed the livestream yesterday? Fret not, you can enjoy all of Julian and Idris' banters and informative explanations here! Be sure to drop a message at Skoda Singapore's Facebook page if you are interested in either the Octavia or Karoq!

Hi all A newbie here..looking to get a Karoq but really worried about the Skoda brand and the resale value etc...the new RAV4 is also a great bet and pretty much similarly priced...I have decided that the CX5 wouldn't be worth it due to smaller boot space and other items...3 year warranty only etc.. Any thoughts? Can some Karoq owner PM me or assist. Also what do you think how long will the karoq take to deliver...and the best price u have received for Style version. TIA!

For those driving how the FC for this suv? Thinking of switch to 20' wheels, anyone can share before and after when u change ya rims?

REGISTRATION HAS BEEN CLOSED MCF MarkDown this June brings you ŠKODA, a ŠMART brand that sparks joy. ŠKODA brings you the ŠKODA Octavia 1.4L,one of the most generous mid-sized cars in terms of legroom and economical non-hybrid saloon car (official fuel consumption of 5.2L/100km), and packed with ŠMART details that make this car an excellent choice for families The ŠKODA Octavia provides with excellent value, superb quality and reliability since it was introduced in 1996, and in the form of a fast-back sedan, it is incredibly spacious for a car of its size. And now in its third generation, the punchy 1.4L turbocharged Octavia is arguably the best line-up of engines, as it combines impressive speed with good economy. We have arranged an exclusive test drive event with ŠKODA and not only that! There will be a special price announcement during the event for all the participant who wants to own a ŠKODA on that day; They can enjoy exclusive deals and promotion during the day! REGISTRATION HAS BEEN CLOSED With news like this, everyone Singaporean must be disheartening. But fret not! MyCarForum has partnered with ŠKODA to bring you the best deal in town. Join us to test drive the ŠKODA car that you will like and win Lucky Draw worth up to $400 that day! Date: June 8, 2019, Saturday Time: 10am – 1pm (Registration starts at 9.30am.) Venue: ŠKODA Singapore, 26 Leng Kee Road, Singapore 159104 Registration Fee: $10 per registrant (Free goodie bag worth $50 for every registrant) REGISTRATION HAS BEEN CLOSED *Limited to 40 participant. Successful registrants will be contacted via phone or e-mail. Payment will be processed only if your registration is successful (payment must be made via Visa or Mastercard). Terms and Conditions There will be a registration fee of $10 once you have confirmed your attendance. The participating party agrees to pay the registration fee when they confirm their attendance for the event. The Management of MCF will remunerate the registration fee in a form of $15 shopping voucher or grocery voucher during the event. Registration closes on 31 May 2019.