Skoda has mentioned it is not going to change its Fabia Combi small wagon as initially deliberate, citing the approaching Euro 7 emissions rules.

In 2020, Thomas Schaefer, who was Skoda’s CEO on the time and is now head of the Volkswagen model, introduced that Skoda would change the Fabia wagon with a launch date of this 12 months.

“This is essential to us as a result of it underlines our dedication to providing reasonably priced, sensible mobility within the entry-level segments,” Schaefer mentioned.

Nevertheless, the wagon plan has now been axed. “Assembly the demanding emissions targets with the upcoming Euro 7 laws is related to very excessive prices,“ a Skoda spokesperson instructed Automotive Information Europe. “Following this resolution, there can be no successor to the Fabia Combi.”

Skoda stopped constructing the outgoing Fabia Combi in November final 12 months, eradicating the final small wagon nonetheless on sale in Europe.

The area of interest section up to now has been contested by Skoda in addition to Renault with the Clio and Peugeot with the 207. Skoda bought 3,013 Fabia Combis by the tip of March, down 49 p.c on the 12 months earlier than, as sellers cleared the final of their inventory.

Automakers have more and more shifted their focus away from small hatchbacks and wagons to SUVs lately as they seemed to extend margins on a section that’s susceptible to cost rises as a result of each elevated laws and better uncooked materials prices.

Skoda launched the present fourth-generation of the Fabia hatchback  in 2021, switching it to the VW Group’s MQB-A0 platform for the primary time. The brand new model is 110 mm longer than its predecessor at 4108 mm, creating further room for passengers.

Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer warned in April that Euro 7 emissions rules as at the moment proposed would imply severe price hikes for the Fabia. “We need to respect the local weather, but when the present draft turns into actuality by 2025 we must put know-how within the automotive that’s both not developed but or is so costly {that a} 15,000-euro automotive would grow to be an 18,000-20,000-euro automotive in Europe.”

The rules would go into impact in July 2025, as at the moment deliberate. They govern the discharge of exhaust gases resembling nitrogen oxide in addition to high-quality particulates, which have been blamed for tens of hundreds of deaths. Additionally they will regulate emissions of particles from brake pads and tires.

Automakers have mentioned they’re a pricey distraction for the push to electrification, as a result of they require retrofitting and retesting of combustion powertrains.