Zellmer stopped short of suggesting a projected retirement date for the current Fabia, which was launched in 2021 and would be up for renewal in around 2028, but did reveal that the Renault Clio rival could even return for another generation if conditions allow.
“We shall see,” he said. “We have to keep the options open. Our principle is that we respect customers’ preferences and we have to keep that avenue open. But let’s see what consumer preferences will be in the next five to ten years.”
Skoda sales boss Martin Jahn was equally optimistic about the supermini’s survival, telling Autocar: “The original proposal from the European Commission last year would kill the A-0 [supermini] segment in the middle of 2025, which I think would be a pity because there is a big demand for these cars.
“If the European Parliament approves a version that’s close to what we have on the table today, then we can keep producing these cars, which I think is the right solution”.
Skoda could legally continue selling a pure-combustion version of the Fabia in the EU and UK until 2035, when manufacturers will be forced to sell only electric cars in both markets, the UK government having pushed back that cut-off date from 2030 last month.
Zellmer said the 2035 deadline is workable for Skoda, “because what we need as car manufacturers is a solid framework we can work in, and 2035 for us is a framework that we can adjust to, and manage our transformation to provide choice for consumers.”