About Turn – Next-Gen Skoda Fabia to motor on with PQ25 platform

Will it, won’t it? That’s pretty much the story around the next-generation 2015 Skoda Fabia using the Volkswagen group’s MQB platform. Initial reports suggesting a non-MQB route for the 2015 Fabia, only to be denied later, with the NVQ platform (Skoda’s internal nomenclature for the MQB platform) said to be the base of the 2015 Fabia. Now, in yet another twist in the tale, reports emanating on the interweb suggest that the 2015 Fabia will continue using the PQ25 platform of the outgoing car.

The PQ25 platform supports a wide range of cars, such as the Volkswagen Polo and Vento twins, the Seat Ibiza, the Audi A1 and the current Skoda Fabia and Rapid. Reusing this platform for the 2015 Fabia would mean that the car won’t be much larger than the outgoing model. So, major design changes adopted from the 2013 Octavia, revamped interiors and a refreshed set of features and creature comforts is what can be expected from the 2015 Fabia if the PQ25 platform is retained.

On the other hand, if the MQB platform is adapted for the 2015 Fabia, the car could get larger in size as has been the case with MQB based cars such as the Octavia and the Audi A3, which were much larger than their predecessors. For now though, confusion is rife on which platform the 2015 Fabia considering the fact that the next-generation Volkswagen Polo, due in 2015, will hop onto the MQB bandwagon. The 2015 Fabia will make its debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, with sales set to begin from early 2015 in most international markets.

Since its first generation, the Fabia has always been sharing platforms with the Polo. In that light, a PQ25 platform based next-gen Skoda Fabia and a MQB platform based Volkswagen Polo would see the two cars diverging for the first time in history. The 2015 Fabia will get turbo petrol and turbo diesel engine options. The car will also get infotainment options that target a younger set of buyers as Skoda is looking to tap into a younger buyer demography for the new Fabia. In cue, the styling is also likely to follow a more youthful design. 

Via CarAdvice