Skoda Citigo small car revealed

Skoda has unveiled its new small car, the Citigo. Based on the Volkswagen Up platform, the Citigo is the first in an aggressive product roll-out by Skoda that will see a new car being launched every six months.

The Citigo’s styling mixes its current cues from the Fabia with the look of its recent VisionD and MissionL concept cars. It features a finned grille set in a chrome-plated frame, similar to that seen on the MissionL.

The car is 3560mm long, 1650mm wide and 1480mm high. Skoda claims that its 2420mm wheelbase offers enough interior space for four passengers, making it comfortable even for long trips. Boot volume is 251 litres, or 951 litres with the rear seats folded down.

The Citigo will initially be offered with the Up’s 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine with two power outputs – 59bhp and 74bhp. Highly economical variants under the Green Tec banner will also be available. The Citigo will be available in both manual and automatic transmissions.

In the European model, the interior kit includes numerous storage compartments, Bluetooth and Satnav, which comes in the shape of a detachable, portable five-inch touchscreen. The car will also feature Skoda’s new brake assistance system for collision avoidance.

The three-door Citigo is the first of a range of new cars the company collectively calls ‘New Small Family’. However, Skoda technical chief Eckhard Scholz has said that the four-door version, previewed at the recent Frankfurt motor show, would be "the most important" of the new cars.

"The three-door looks good, but the four-door is even better in my opinion," he told Autocar. Scholz has also confirmed an "aggressive price" for the Citigo.

An electric version of the Citigo is also under consideration, but not yet confirmed. "We need to learn about the technology first," said Scholz.