1959 Morgan 4/4 on 2040-cars

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Skoda nixes prospect of building a sportscar

We have to admit we were more than a little bit intrigued when Skoda showed up at Wörthersee this year with the Fabia RS 2000 roadster you see here. The concept essentially took the company's S2000 rally machine, gave it a fresh coat of Kermit and chopped off the roof... with four seats and four doors still intact. But could such a vehicle ever be produced?
According to the latest reports from across the pond, the answer, quite simply, is "no". Apparently Skoda is fixated on reaching its sales targets, and while something could certainly be said for a halo vehicle - particularly one based on one of its top-selling volume models - the Czech automaker is not keen on distracting itself from the task at hand. (We'll just have to admire it from the updated high-res image gallery, then.)
That's a bit of a shame, especially since the VW subsidiary's line-up is, well, rather conservative. But don't go thinking that Skoda is about to give up on performance-oriented models altogether, though: the company will continue developing and producing its vRS line of hot hatches and sedans, like the Fabia, Octavia and even the upcoming production version of the MissionL concept debuted in Frankfurt. A Superb vRS performance sedan, however, is reportedly not in the cards, as the executive saloon is just too big to fit the bill.

Skoda recreates Stonehenge out of old cars

The UK has a burgeoning car market filled with all sorts of cars we don't get here. So to get buyers' attention, automakers need to make a real splash. To that end, Skoda has erected a fresh take on one of the island nation's oldest landmarks... only in a more automotive form.
Dubbed Citihenge, the installation is inspired by the ancient Stonehenge in Wiltshire, recreated out of old cars. It was built over the course of three months under the direction of renowned installation artist Tommy Gun, and put in place in less than 12 hours. Using eighteen scrap cars weighing a total of 36 metric tons, each of the henges measures five meters tall by five meters wide and is made to withstand force-12 hurricane winds. Still, it can be entirely recycled.
The installation was erected on the south bank of the Thames next to London's famous Tower Bridge just in time for the summer solstice, and marks the arrival of the Skoda Citigo (the Czech version of the Volkswagen Up!) in the British market.

Skoda MissionL concept provides glimpse at Czech automaker's future

Skoda has taken its place on the floor of the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, and Volkswagen's Czech arm has brought a new concept sedan along for the ride. Called MissionL, the crisp but conservative Skoda four-door concept is an almost-ready peek at the upcoming production model.
The Skoda MissionL is expected to slot in the lineup between the Fabia and the Octavia, models North Americans know best Volkswagen Polo and Jetta derivatives. The automaker plans to launch its MissionL first in India, with units arriving there by the end of 2011. After that, Skoda will provide the MissionL to markets in Europe, Russia and China sometime in 2012.
Skoda is using the MissionL concept to provide hints at the styling direction for future Skoda models. These new models are stepping stones that the automaker will have to land on as it attempts to hit a heady 1.5 million global sales by the year 2018.