What's the news?
Skoda will unveil an updated and facelifted version of the Superb saloon and estate later this month. Not at a motor show, though. No, for the Superb - ever the iconoclast's idea of a big family four-door - Skoda has chosen the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship as the location for the new Superb's launch.
Skoda has been the official main sponsor and vehicle partner of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship since as early as 1993, and was even the official vehicle partner for the final rounds of the World Championship in Prague and Bratislava in 1992. Now, in the Slovakian capital, the brand is coming full circle by holding the first vehicle world premiere on the World Championship stage. The Czech brand is now in its 27th year as the main sponsor of the Ice Hockey World Championship, making this the longest sponsorship in the history of sport world championships.
What's changing for the Superb? Not a lot on the surface. The sketch that Skoda has issued shows a very slightly new grille, a new bumper with sweeping chrome-line and foghlight arrangement, and some new headlights. Around the back, as with the new Scala hatchback, it will get the Superb name spelled out across the bootlid in retro-ish chrome letters. That's largely to do with the tastes of Chinese customers, who don't recognise the abstract, arrowhead Skoda badge as much as we do, and prefer the name of the car writ large.
The biggest change is likely to be the addition of a plug-in hybrid model to the range. Based on the Volkswagen Passat GTE, it'll use a 1.4-litre turbo TSI petrol engine, with a plugin battery and electric motor. It should be good for just over 50km on a fully battery, and will have CO2 emissions below 40g/km.
Inside, the infotainment system is due for an upgrade too, so expect to see some new options in that arena.