Skoda Octavia spy

May 30, 2013 by Alastair Sloane

Skoda Octavia

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Volkswagen Group officials have announced a November world debut for the all-new Skoda Octavia, ahead of the start of global sales early next year. The new model will be appreciably larger and more upmarket than the current model, this time competing in the medium-car segment.

The Octavia will no longer have to straddle the small and mid-sized passenger segment, thanks to the arrival of the new Rapid small car in the first half of 2013. The latest iteration of the Czech company’s global best-seller will be the fourth model (and the first Skoda) based on Volkswagen’s flexible new MQB modular platform, after the Audi A3, Seat Leon and the forthcoming seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf.

The switch to lightweight MQB underpinnings should also see the new model shed some weight over the current generation, despite stretching to around 4800 mm in length (around 250 mm longer than current version, which is based on the previous Golf).

The top end of the new range will be pushed further upmarket to match more established European brands, meaning higher prices than before, but expect entry versions to continue to offer more space for less money than key rivals.

French carmaker Renault has won the 2025 European Car of the Year award with the all-electric R5 supermini (pictured). It’s the brand’s second win in a row, following the new Scenic’s gong in 2024. The R5 led the vote count from start to finish from the 60 jurors in 23 countries. It received 353 points, beating the Kia EV3 (291 points) and the Citroen C3/e in third place with 215 points. It’s Renault’s eighth win in the 62-year history of the Coty award. The R5 goes on sale in the UK this month. There are two main drivetrains: a 90kW motor/40kWh battery model with a 300km range, and a 112kW/52kWh example with a 400km range. The R5 starts in price at £22.995, or $NZ50,000.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz are among carmakers urging the European Union to get a favourable trade deal with US President Donald Trump. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) wants to keep open trade with both the US and China. It fears Trump, who promises heavy tariffs on Chinese imports to the US, will look unfavourably on countries that continue to trade freely with Beijing. Ola Kallenius, president of the group and chairman of the management board of MB, said in a letter to EU leaders: “Overall, it is essential to recognise that trade with China and the US is most vital for the prosperity of the European economy.The EU should seek a grand bargain with the US and attempt to avoid a potential trade conflict.”

A go-anywhere EV concept for the US military uses an onboard 12kW diesel generator to top up the batteries on the move. The all-wheel-drive has 800-volt technology and a 200kWh battery pack to power three electric motors, two in the rear and one up front. Claimed output is 745kW/15,590Nm, or 1000hp and 11,500 ft-lb of torque. The four-seater was developed by the defence division of General Motors and is based on the platform of the Hummer SUV. It rides on Fox performance shock absorbers and 37-inch tyres and comes with “exceptional” approach and departure angles for off-road mobility. Maximum range using the generator to keep things ticking over is said to be around 500km.

The outside temperature in Midland, Texas, was 40.5C when staff at the local office of the US National Weather Service set out to show the cabin of a closed car can literally get baking hot in summer. They mixed up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and laid them on the car’s dashboard – the surface of which showed a temperature of 87.7C. A little over four hours later the cookies were ready to eat. “Even though ours weren’t golden brown, we can confirm that they are done and delicious,” the staff wrote on Facebook.