Octavia

There's no reason a one-trick pony can't be an entertaining success – you've just really got to like that one trick. And while we're not saying that the new offerings from Škoda are one-dimensional, we are saying that it's a good thing we like the Czech brand's new design language; line up the new Octavia next to the Rapid and you'll need to know the detai

The massive number of safety devices, explosives, electronics and construction materials in modern cars means that extricating someone from a wrecked vehicle is no longer just a matter of a Sawzall and twelve minutes. Carmakers work with first responders so that the men and women who save lives can actually figure out how to get to the lives in question without doing further damage to the people inside or themselves.

Of all of the divisions under the Volkswagen Group's vast corporate umbrella, Skoda's wouldn't exactly be what you'd call the most exciting. But the Czech automaker is working on improving that. Skoda plans on releasing a new product every six months for the next two years, and this is the first in its new model offensive.

Skoda has officially kicked off production of a ten-vehicle trial fleet of its first-ever electric automobile, the Octavia Green E Line. Skoda says that production of the Octavia E Line represents the automaker's next step in its, "continued efforts to reduce emissions and consumption levels throughout the company."

If you thought a 202-mph run seemed like a hell of a pace for a Škoda Octavia, hold on to your hats, folks, because the Czech automaker's team at Bonneville has set a new record.

There are places you expect to find a Škoda, and places you don't. European streets, for example, fall squarely into the former category. Dried up lake beds in the United States, however, belong firmly in the latter. But someone forgot to tell that to the people who make the Czech Volkswagen derivatives.

The new entries just keep on lining up for the British Touring Car Championship, which is rapidly becoming the most varied racing series in the world. There are already 27 cars based on 13 different models from 10 different manufacturers, but now the touring car series is about to get a 28th, based on a 14th from an 11th, respectively.

2011 Skoda Octavia Scout – Click above for high-res image

Click above to view the Skoda Octavia vRS Limited Edition in high resolution

Skoda, the Czech marque that belongs to the VW group, has announced that its Octavia model will from now on use the latest iteration of TDI technology. TDI is based in the use of common-rail injection, and it phases out pump-injectors. The new Superb, due in two months, will also have the new engines installed.

As our man Alex Nunez said when he covered the preview press release at the beginning of this month, the Škoda Octavia Scout is based on the Volkswagen Golf Mk. V. It's a new small wagon derivative from Škoda that sits 16mm higher than the regular Octavia Combi 4x4.

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Volkswagen-owned Skoda Auto announced Wednesday that it is expanding its plans for China. With production of Skoda's Octavia scheduled to spool up in 2007 at Volkswagen's plant in Shanghai, the company announced that it will add its Fabia (pictured) and Superb models to its Chinese portfolio.