Monster Skoda ready to roar

The secretive Yeti is about to come out of hiding – as Skoda’s super-cool new SUV will go on sale here in just over a year’s time.

Auto Express has learned that the car will be available only in five-door form when it reaches showrooms in early 2009. Buyers will be offered a choice of front-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive versions as Skoda targets the likes of the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. The engine range is set to include the latest turbo­charged and supercharged petrol motors from parent firm VW.

Dr Eckhard Scholz, Skoda’s head of technical development, revealed that the Czech manufacturer’s next project is a large MPV, which is likely to arrive in the next 18 months. ”The Yeti will be a Skoda take on the SUV, and our other new car will do the same for people carriers,” he said. At the same time, Scholz revealed that Volkswagen engineers have started development of a stop-start system, similar to the technology in BMW’s Efficient Dyna­mics package. This will be available on models across the VW Group ranges in the next year.