ŠKODA in twin world debut at Wörthersee

18.5.2012

- ‘ŠKODA Citigo Rally’ concept is a smash at customisation event

- Study follows lead of ŠKODA Motorsport’s successful rally cars

- ‘ŠKODA Citigo DJ Car’ stars at ŠKODA concert night in Reifnitz

- ŠKODA Fabia S2000 rally car and works drivers Jan Kopecký and Juho Hänninen at ŠKODA booth

- ŠKODA’s lakeside exhibition area a hit with the public, marries modern design with rally atmosphere

Mladá Boleslav/Reifnitz, May 18th, 2012 – ŠKODA AUTO shows off not one, but two world debuts at the 31st GTI meeting of Volkswagen’s customisation fans on Wörthersee. Both design studies are based on the ŠKODA Citigo, the new subcompact model line of the brand. The ŠKODA Citigo Rally’s design brings rally successes to the road. The ŠKODA Citigo DJ Car is an extraordinary showcar which serves as a turntable and a mixer for DJs appearing at the nighttime concert.

Reifnitz on Wörthersee in Austria has been the cult meeting of Volkswagen’s customisation fans on the long Ascension Day weekend for over 30 years now. In 2012, ŠKODA has two design highlights based on the new Citigo subcompact in store especially for the fans: the ‘ŠKODA Citigo Rally’ and the ‘ŠKODA Citigo DJ Car’. Another eyecatcher is the ŠKODA Fabia S2000, the rally car that was so successful last season, sporting winner’s laurels.

The ŠKODA Citigo Rally design concept is a white car with a black roof and additional colour accents. It impresses with its massive bumpers, rear wing, generous air intake in the front apron and forged 18-inch wheels with low-profile tyres promising high stability and ample traction. Other rally features include generously sized fenders and massive door sills, which add a few centimetres to each side of the Citigo. A centrally mounted exhaust end pipe dominates the car’s rear. The diffusor function is integrated into the rear bumper. The wing, which extends the car’s roofline, is designed to increase downforce during driving. The ŠKODA Citigo Rally’s interior also differs from the street version in that it includes a roll cage. Driver and passenger sit down in sporty race seats, and the dashboard has been optimised for weight. The central console’s purely functional switches and buttons are strongly reminiscent of those in rally cars. The public’s reaction at the Wörthersee meeting was overwhelming in that a large majority would like to see this concept car in series production.

The rally-car-inspired study fetes its debut at a time when the ŠKODA Citigo makes its appearance in Europe’s premier markets. Accordingly, a ŠKODA Citigo from series production is on display at Wörthersee featuring the ‘Sport Design’ trim package, which customer may order ex factory or purchase as ŠKODA Original Equipment at a later date.

The customisation community’s gathering on Wörthersee is mainly an entertainment event. On Thursday night, several DJs appeared. The surprise guest was Tiësto, who mixed and sampled his hits in the ŠKODA Citigo DJ Car, another world debut just like the ŠKODA Citigo Rally study. This very special prototype is a mixer on four wheels. The three-door car’s rear can be retracted from the B column on back, turning the vehicle into a mobile stage. This is where DJ megastar Tiësto enthralled several thousand fans with his music, supported by a PA system with almost 100,000 watts of power.

At ŠKODA’s exhibition area in Reifnitz, visitors can also meet ŠKODA Motorsport works team drivers Jan Kopecký and Juho Hänninen. The brand, long established in motorsport history, combines two worlds on its 600 sqm lakeside booth – the white zone standing for an easy, relaxed lounge atmosphere, while the green zone is all about the suspense and drama of international rally sports. This is also where visitors can have some fun: uncommon disciplines recreate the tough challenges of real-world rally sports. Thus, daring spectators can get themselves sprayed with mud by a ŠKODA Yeti or attempt leaps from a miniature jump hill in a children’s car.

SOURCE: Skoda