Skoda considering a Fabia-sized crossover

Compact SUVs/crossovers are now moving from a trend to nearly an inevitability. Slapping on roof rails, bumping up the ground clearance and attaching skid plates hardly makes a vehicle an off-roader, but that won’t stop manufacturers from partaking in the practice. Skoda will now reportedly develop a new Fabia sized crossover which could be launched in 2017.

The Volkswagen group has been working towards the creation of a wider SUV range for its global portfolio, to better target markets like the USA. Skoda has only one SUV on offer i.e. the Yeti. Skoda’s leadership is targeting 1.5 million sales in the next 5 years and the strategy would depend greatly on SUVs, given the expectation that the global SUV segment will account for 22 million sales by the year 2020.

Skoda’s portfolio could include a total of 3 SUVs by the end of 2017, including a successor to the Yeti, a new 7-seater SUV and this “Fabia crossover” – that could make its debut in 2016, ahead of a launch in 2017. The report adds that the crossover will be based on a shortened version of VW’s MQB architecture and will not share its DNA with the Taigun concept. Volkswagen is working on a similar development in the form of a "Polo SUV".

Source: Auto Express

*Images are renders indicative of the design