New Skoda Fabia wagon confirmed for 2023, Australian arm keen
The more practical sibling to Skoda's new Fabia hatch is coming – but don't expect to see it without camouflage before 2023.
The new-generation Skoda Fabia will gain a wagon body style in the coming years – and the brand's Australian arm is interested in the model.
Skoda's global operations have confirmed a fourth-generation Fabia wagon is in development, however it won't arrive until 2023 at the earliest – two years after the launch of its hatchback twin, unveiled earlier this month, and due in Australia early next year.
The delay is thanks to space at the Kvasiny, Czech Republic plant where it will be built currently being occupied by the Skoda Superb mid-size car, production of which will move to the Volkswagen Group's factory in Bratislava, Slovakia in 2023, alongside the next-generation Volkswagen Passat.
A 2020 interview between Auto Motor und Sport and Skoda boss Thomas Schäfer (via Motor1) suggests the current-generation Fabia wagon could continue to be sold in Europe until the end of 2022 – though that's unlikely to carry over to Australia, given the outgoing model recently entered the run-out phase locally with the 'Run-Out Edition' MY21 range.
Australian launch timing is harder to pin down, with a start-of-production date for our market yet to be confirmed – however, don't expect to see the Fabia wagon on local shores until late 2023, or sometime in 2024, pending no further delays.
While Skoda Australia has expressed interest in a new Fabia wagon for Australia – acknowledging the long-roof body style as a USP for the Fabia Down Under, as the only 'light' wagon still on sale – a local launch has yet to be officially locked in.
It's understood the wagon's prospects for Australia could be influenced by the sales performance of the larger Scala hatch, given its $26,990 drive-away base price (with a six-speed manual) isn't dissimilar from the Fabia Run-Out Edition wagon's $25,990 drive-away sticker (with an auto) – with the 'Mk4' Fabia's extra tech likely to reduce the price gap even further.
The Scala also offers similar amounts of boot space to the outgoing Fabia wagon (467 litres, versus the Fabia's 505), and is a physically larger package – making a new wagon's business case a harder one to justify.
While a full debut for the new Skoda Fabia wagon remains close to two years away, the unveiling of the new Fabia hatch in early May 2021 makes the wagon's styling easy to imagine – with CarAdvice Photoshop guru Theophilus Chin creating the renderings you see above, posted to Instagram.
Expect the hatch's safety and technology suites to carry over, with flagship models offering a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, 9.2-inch infotainment touchscreen, and a full suite of driver aids allowing the Fabia to accelerate, brake and steer itself within its lane semi-autonomously on freeways.
Above: 2022 Skoda Fabia hatch interior.
A pair of 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engines should be offered locally: a 70kW/175Nm unit paired to a five-speed manual, or a 81kW/200Nm mill mated to a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
A more potent 110kW/250Nm 1.5-litre turbo four-cylinder is available in the hatch overseas, but that's yet to be confirmed for Australia – though Skoda's local arm has put its hand up for the engine.
Stay tuned to CarAdvice for all the latest on the new 2023 Skoda Fabia wagon as its global and local launches approach.
The 2022 Skoda Fabia hatch will reach Australian showrooms in March 2022.
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Below: The outgoing Skoda Fabia wagon
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