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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.

Skoda Superb Combi Outdoor is Czech for "Allroad"

The Škoda Superb Combi has picked up on the "Allroad" habit of its flashier brother, Audi. As is to be expected, though, in Škoda guise, the design-package makeover as applied to the Superb Combi Outdoor isn't quite so flashy. The ride height and suspension are unchanged, and there are no steel undertrays installed fore and aft. But there is "robust synthetic paneling" that runs all around the lower rim of the car, as well as a revised font bumper with fog lamps and a larger lower intake.
This is said to enable the Combi Outdoor to "hold its own even beyond paved roads," but we'd take that with a few grains of whatever the Czech word for "salt" is. It is available now with any engine and drive layout in the range other than the GreenLine. Scroll down for a brief press release, and check out its angles in our gallery.

Watch Skoda's Mikkelsen get quizzed while running a rally stage

If there's one trait all motorsports drivers have, it's an excellent ability to multitask. Sure, the pilots need to be able to keep an eye on the course and keep their vehicles pointed in the right direction. But that's not all.
Drivers also need to be in constant contact with either a navigator, a spotter or a pit chief while simultaneously making sure their car doesn't go supernova on the course. Skoda recently put driver Andreas Mikkelsen's multitasking skills to the test by giving him a pop quiz while he was slinging his IRC rally car around the Millbrook race track.
With questions covering topics ranging from rally history to import/export trivia, Mikkelson had his work cut out for him, but he handles the rapid-fire Q&A like a champ. Well, except for that question about Ukrainian pork. You can check out the video for yourself below.