By Leow Ju-Len

SKODA has revived a historical nameplate for its flagship, which was launched in Singapore on July 21st. The Superb is named after the luxury car that Skoda offered to European royalty in 1934, and takes the company into the big sedan market for the first time here.

Local distributor Czech Auto says the Superb is aimed squarely at the market leaders in the segment: the Toyota Camry and Nissan Cefiro. Although the Superb is not expected to topple the two giants, Czech Auto hopes to achieve around 3 to 5 percent of their sales.

Given that the Camry and Cefiro averaged 612 units per month between them in the first half of 2004, that works out to a target of 18 to 30 Superb sales a month.

“The Japanese stalwarts will always be there, but with this car we really want to offer an alternative,” says Ang Ghim Cheong, Managing Director of vehicle operations at Group Exklusiv, of which Czech Auto is a subsidiary.

Czech Auto says the Superb should be competitive on three fronts: size, engine and price. The Superb is based on the running gear of the Volkswagen Passat, with a 10cm stretch in wheelbase in order to create a particularly roomy cabin. The drivetrain is also from the Passat, which gives the Superb a 150bhp, 1.8-litre turbocharged engine and a five-speed automatic gearbox. That makes it more powerful than the base versions of both the Camry and the Cefiro.

As far as price goes, the Superb starts at $113,000 with COE for the basic model in ‘Classic’ trim. An ‘Elegance’ version, which adds features like a refrigerator in the back seats, curtain airbags, xenon headlights, a stability control system and 17-inch alloy wheels, is available for $140,000 with COE.
While it doesn’t undercut its stated rivals, then, the Superb Classic is at least priced close enough to be considered a genuine alternative. For now, it’s also priced at $108,000 with COE as part of an introductory offer, subject to the availability of stock.

The Superb is the first new model launched by Czech Auto since operations began in July 2002. By the end of the year, the company intends to launch the all-new Skoda Octavia, which will be available with the frugal 1.6-litre direct-injection engine and six-speed auto from the Volkswagen Golf.