Skoda Superb RS under consideration

THE success of Skoda’s RS brand and the pleasing debut for its Superb large car may yield a high performance version of the car – and Australia would be at the head of the queue for it.

Skoda Australia director Michael Irmer told GoAuto that plans for a high performance version of the Superb were currently being discussed in Skoda’s head office in Mlada Boleslav in the Czech Republic.

“The factory is looking into something (like a sporty Superb) at this stage, but it’s not confirmed,” he told GoAuto at the launch of the Octavia RS230 in New South Wales.

“Obviously, we would be the first ones to put our hands up because of the success of the Octavia in the RS range.”

When asked if a sporty Superb would be an RS variant, Mr Irmer said “ideally, yes.

“At this moment, it’s at a business case stage,” he said. “It’s not a case of making it from a technology viewpoint, it’s whether a worldwide business model would stack up.

“Obviously for us it would stack up, but not every country is like Australia.”

Mr Irmer said that Australia leads the Skoda brand in terms of percentage of RS variants sold versus regular models.

The Superb is currently offered with a 206kW version of the VW Group’s EA888 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and an all-wheel-drive platform, making it the brand’s most powerful car.

Mr Irmer added that its buyer base had also been asking about manual versions of the new Superb.

“It’s not something you can have permanently in the range because it won’t attract big enough numbers that it makes sense to stock them,” he said.

“What we hear a lot from the enthusiasts is that they are asking for manuals, and I think its good they we are able to offer that,” said Mr Irmer.

About 10 to 20 per cent of Octavia RS buyers, for example, currently opt for manuals despite the relatively small volume of cars, it is among the highest take-up rates in Australia.

“Occasionally we get people asking the question why don’t we have Superb in manual,” he added. “We thought it to be not enough of a market for that currently, but it’s maybe worth a limited edition down the track.”