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Skoda's smallest car is set to bring back a flagship performance version to celebrate the brand's 130th anniversary, but don't expect a full VW Polo GTI twin.
A more powerful version of the Skoda Fabia city hatch – with "RS genes" but not the badge – is due to be revealed by the end of this year as the brand's first pocket-sized performance model in more than a decade.
And, further up the range, the global boss of Skoda has left the door open for new-generation RS sports models with petrol engines, rather than going all-in on electric power.
Skoda has been photographed testing Fabia prototypes on Germany's Nurburgring race track with mild aerodynamic enhancements and red brake calipers, sparking speculation of a new RS.
CEO Klaus Zellmer told a group of media including Drive at a Munich motor show preview that a new hero Fabia – offering more power – is months away.
"We're very much looking forward to a special model of the Fabia for our anniversary of 130 years, so wait for that. It will be not branded as RS, but it's got a little bit of RS genes in it," he said.
In 2025, Skoda is celebrating 130 years since its predecessor firm, Laurin & Klement, was founded as a bicycle maker in 1895.
Zellmer nodded when asked if the special edition will be more powerful than the current 110kW/250Nm 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine in the Monte Carlo.
It is more likely the existing engine will be upgraded to produce more power, rather than the 152kW 2.0-litre engine from the Volkswagen Polo GTI adapted to work in the Fabia, which would require costly, additional emissions testing.
Skoda's Spanish division recently launched a Fabia Rally2 special edition with lowered suspension, unique 17-inch wheels, a rear spoiler extension, and a 140kW/290Nm software tune for the 1.5-litre engine, developed by German tuning firm Abt Sportsline.
The last Fabia RS, discontinued in 2014, produced 132kW/250Nm from a 1.4-litre turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinder petrol engine.
Beyond the limited-edition Fabia, when asked if Skoda is planning any more new RS models with petrol engines, rather than electric motors and batteries, Zellmer said: "Wait and see."
Skoda executives have previously left the door open to a Superb RS, positioned above today's 195kW/400Nm Sportline.
The next-generation Octavia – due closer to the end of the decade – is confirmed to go electric, while the Kodiaq RS has just been replaced by a new-generation model fitted with the Superb's engine.
Earlier plans were intended to see the Fabia and its platform-mates – the Kamiq small SUV and Scala small hatch – discontinued later this decade, but they will be updated and kept in showrooms amid continued demand.
"We have just taken the decision that originally, we were aiming for fading those out in 2027, 2028 and now they go beyond 2030, so everything is planned for that," Zellmer said.
"And we also, you know, they make good money, customers love them, they're very competitive. It's rock solid technology that we have in those cars, so there's no reason to discontinue them."
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
