Rescued from the bargain basement of car manufacturing by Volkswagen in 1990, Skoda continues its upmarket march with the unveiling of an elegant wagon in Frankfurt. The Fabia Estate will go on sale in Europe in January priced €10,740 (approx. $15,000 U.S.) in Germany.

Key to the design is a roofline raised by 46 mm to increase interior space and create a sleek, sloping silhouette flowing to a neat rear. Working within their “Simply Clever” catch line, the engineers have increased storage space to 17 cubic feet (51.5 cubic feet with the rear seats down) and added numerous spaces to store loose items. Rear legroom has also been increased, although the car is just 7 mm longer than its predecessor.

The new wagon will be supplied with three petrol and three diesel engines. Performance ranges from 51 kW (70 horsepower) to 77 kW (105 horsepower) with six-speed transmission standard and Tiptronic as an option. ABS braking is standard, while ESP and Climatic air conditioning are offered as options.

Also unveiled were two design studies of the estate. These were the Fabia Scout with two-tone styling and off-road protective trim around the lower body panels. It also has a bench seat that folds out from the trunk over the rear loading sill and additional storage space.

The Skoda GreenLine is lighter and more aerodynamic and uses engine management to achieve CO2 emissions of 110 g/km. Another innovation uses FlexFuel, a mixture of petrol and up to 85% biofuel, consumed in a 1.6 MPi engine producing 75 kW (102 horsepower).