Did This Man Really Light up a Match to Look into the Gas Tank?

We cannot say for sure that the driver of this Skoda Octavia lit up a match to see if his tank was full while filling up at a gas station, as claimed by the poster of the video, though admittedly, at around 30 seconds into the clip, we see him reaching into his pocket and then doing something near the fuel cap.

Whatever he did, his actions sparked a very dangerous fire. And just to make a bad situation worse, out came the gas station employee, who only by sheer luck put out the flames... Watch the video after the break and you will see what we mean.

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Did This Man Really Light up a Match to Look into the Gas Tank?

We cannot say for sure that the driver of this Skoda Octavia lit up a match to see if his tank was full while filling up at a gas station, as claimed by the poster of the video, though admittedly, at around 30 seconds into the clip, we see him reaching into his pocket and then doing something near the fuel cap.

Whatever he did, his actions sparked a very dangerous fire. And just to make a bad situation worse, out came the gas station employee, who only by sheer luck put out the flames... Watch the video after the break and you will see what we mean.

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Would You Consider this Skoda Octavia Incident a Win or a Fail?

The video you're about to check out after the break starts off with the driver of a Skoda Octavia overtaking one too many cars on a fairly narrow road with one lane for each direction.

Because of the snow and the freezing temperatures, the road conditions weren't great and as a result, just as the Octavia driver tried to snuck back into his lane, he lost control of the vehicle. Want to know what happens next? Head over past the break to find out.

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Skoda Commences Road Tests of its First Pure Electric Vehicle

After the production of a fleet of 10 electrically powered Octavia Green E Line models last fall, Skoda is entering the second phase of its EV project as it commenced road tests around the Czech city of Mladà Boleslav, which is located about 50 km northeast of Prague.

The company's goal is to gain practical experience with electric propulsion in real life conditions as it prepares for the presentation of an actual production model.

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Skoda Builds 1.5 Millionth Octavia II After Seven Years

The good times continue to roll for the Volkswagen Group's Skoda division that has just built the 1,500,000th example of its second-generation Octavia model, with the aforementioned figure not including the production numbers of the structurally identical "MingRui" that is sold in China.

The anniversary vehicle is a white Octavia Combi ‘GreenLine’, which rolled off the assembly line at the Czech company’s main plant in Mladá Boleslav on Wednesday.

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Milotec Lays its Hands on the Skoda Octavia II RS

The second generation of the Octavia is one of the more successful models to come out of the Volkswagen – Skoda partnership. And in RS form, the Octavia is perhaps one of the finest proposals in the family car segment for those looking to trade in some the VW Golf GTi's performance and handling attributes for more space and increased practicality without breaking their budget.

While not as popular as the GTI in the aftermarket scene, there's a selection of tuners that offer plenty of upgrades for the Octavia RS, which is available in Europe with a choice of two powerplants, a 2.0-liter TFSI petrol producing 200-horses, and a 2.0-liter TDI diesel with 170-ponies.

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Skoda Rolls Out New Rapid Small Sedan in India [with Video]

In the next step towards its bold goal of increasing Skoda's worldwide sales to at least 1.5 million vehicles per year by 2018, the Volkswagen Group revealed a new entry-level Skoda sedan named Rapid at its Pune plant in western India on Sunday.

Although it had been suggested that the Rapide may be the production version of Skoda's MissionL concept that was show in Frankfurt last month, this doesn't seem to be the case.

Instead, the Rapid, which borrows its name from the rear-engine Skoda coupe of the mid-late 1980s, is a rebadged version of the Indian market VW Vento, otherwise known as the Polo sedan.

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SCOOP: Facelifted 2012 Skoda Superb and Octavia Snapped Testing in the Alps

While the Volkswagen Group is keeping itself busy with new introductions such as the VW brand's Up! and the soon-to-be launched Skoda MissionL (albeit under a different name), the company has not forget about its current portfolio and is working on improving its offerings in all segments.

This time, our team of spy photographers snagged the 2012 Skoda Superb facelift in sedan form undergoing testing in the Alps.

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Skoda Begins Production of Electric Octavia E Line Test Fleet

Skoda announced that it has begun production of the Octavia E Line, the company’s first fully electric car that was first saw in concept form at last year’s Paris Motor Show.

Starting this fall, the Czech automaker will manufacture a test fleet of 10 cars that will be used for evaluation of the emissions-free technology. This will help the Skoda collect valuable data to be used in future applications that will reduce its average CO2 emissions.

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Skoda Posts Record Worldwide Sales in First Half of 2011

Skoda revealed today that it delivered 454,700 vehicles in the first half of 2011, which represents an increase of 20.1% compared to the same period in 2010. The Volkswagen Group brand also achieved its best ever June sales, with 81,300 deliveries, compared to 71,300 units in 2010, scoring a new sales record for the fourth month in a row. Read more »

Skoda to Challenge the Big Boys at Bonneville Speed Week with 600HP Octavia RS

With the help of the Volkswagen Group, Skoda has turned out to be quite an important player in the automotive industry. The Czech automaker delivered more than 760,000 cars last year and aims to double its annual sales to 1.5 million by 2018. But it’s not only about sales as Skoda’s German parent company is also planning to further boost the Czech brand’s image.

In celebration of the 10 year anniversary of the vRS (in the UK, simply RS for the rest of Europe) performance badge, Skoda will compete in the famous Bonneville Speed Week in August (13-20) with a specially modified Octavia vRS saloon. Skoda’s goal is to break the magic 200mph (320+ km/h) barrier for the first time in the company’s history.

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Was ist das? Strange Volkswagen-Skoda Hybrid Spied in Munich

Roman Jagatić is the latest addition to our ever-growing list of readers-turned-into spy photographers. Roman stumbled upon this strange looking Volkswagen-Skoda hybrid prototype parked at a gas station in Munich, Germany. The test car appears to combine a modified body of a Skoda Octavia with a Volkswagen front end.

While we do not have a definite answer to what it may be, possible scenarios include a test car for a new Skoda Octavia and a prototype for a Volkswagen-badged model for select markets outside Europe.

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Study finds the Most Vandalised Car in Britain is the Lexus IS

Bad news for Lexus IS owners across the pond: if you happen to own one of the Japanese brand’s entry-level sedans, you’re in possession of the most vandalised car in the UK. Runners up are BMW’s Z4 sports coupe and MINI’s entry-level One model. It’s all been revealed as part of SwiftCover.com’s Vehicle Vandalism Index (VVI), whereby the UK-based insurer analysed some 2,000 motor insurance claims. SwiftCover claims director Robin Reames explains:

“Our analysis shows that luxury cars are more likely to be targeted by vandals, however, it's interesting to see the MINI One in the top three. The majority of vehicles in the top ten are what we call 'executive cars', likely to be driven by high earners who see their car as a status symbol, with just one 4x4 making up the top ten.”

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Skoda Reportedly Readying Up-based City Car for 2011 and Low-Cost Sedan for 2012

Volkswagen Group's new strategy for Skoda is beginning to show its first results. In order to avoid competition between VW and Skoda products and to get a piece of the low-cost market, the German company’s plans for the Czech automaker include a new affordable model.

According to reports from the UK, Skoda has confirmed that the new addition will be a small sedan positioned between the Fabia supermini and the Octavia and will target developing markets. The sedan, which could be a competitor to Renault’s Dacia Logan, is scheduled for launch in 2012, but first Skoda will introduce a city car based on Volkswagen’s forthcoming Up series.

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VW Group's Skoda Division Sets New Record in 2010 with 762,600 Sales

The once ailing Skoda brand is turning out to be a solid investment for the Volkswagen Group as the Czech automaker is breaking one sales record after the other. In the year that just passed on, Skoda Auto recorded is best-ever sales results delivering 762,000 vehicles, which represents an increase of 11.5% over 2009 when it sold 684,200 units. Furthermore, the company broke the threshold of three quarters of a million vehicles sold in a single year for the first time in its history.

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A Painted History of Skoda

Just today, we learned that Skoda delivered a record number of vehicles in the first nine months of 2010, increasing its operating profit by a whopping 64%. This is what most people know about the Czech automaker; that it has been a wild success since Volkswagen took over the reins of the company. But there are others -myself included- who think the real glory of Skoda lies in its past.

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Paris Preshow: Skoda's All-Electric Octavia Green E Line

[Updated] This year's edition of the Paris show will see the VW Group's successful Skoda brand unveiling its first-ever electric-powered vehicle called the Octavia Green E Line. Skoda says it is planning to create a special test fleet of Octavias Green E Line in 2011 with the goal of obtaining additional information relevant to the further development of the electric drive.

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Wörthersee 2010: Skoda Fabia RS+ and Octavia RS+ in the Flesh

Skoda used the GTI event at the Austrian lake Wörthersee over 12 – 15 May to display customized versions of its Fabia RS and Octavia RS models along with two Fabia Super 2000 race cars.

The fans' attention was of course focused on the tuned Fabia RS+ & Octavia RS+ vehicles that were used to present special optical packets and color adaptations based on self-adhesive foils.

Inspired by the Fabia S2000 rally car, the Fabia RS+ features a two-tone gray and lime paint theme with matching alloy wheels and a spoiler kit that includes front spoiler, side skirts and a rear diffuser.

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Skoda: Powertrain Updates for 2011MY Octavia, Yeti and Superb

European market Skoda models Yeti, Octavia and Superb will be getting powertrain updates for the 2011 model year starting from the end of this month. In detail:

The engine portfolio for the Yeti crossover has been extended with the VW Group's 122HP 1.4-liter TSI petrol unit combined with manual transmission and front-wheel drive (FWD), as well as a 140HP 2.0 TDI CR DPF turbo diesel with automatic DSG transmission and FWD, and the more potent 170HP 2.0 TDI CR DPF turbo diesel with manual transmission and 4WD.

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Skoda to Bring Special Fabia RS+ and Octavia RS+ at Wörthersee Meeting

The VW Group will be going full force at next week's GTI tuning event at the Austrian lake Wörthersee. Aside from the two special VW Golf GTIs and seven Audi A1s, the German group will also showcase conceptual versions of the new Fabia RS and the Octavia RS.

Inspired by the S2000 rally model, the Fabia RS+ design study will be wrapped in a two-tone vinyl with matching green alloy wheels. The hot hatch will also feature an aero kit that includes a new bonnet with air vents, front spoiler, side skirts and a rear diffuser, as well as an updated interior boasting bucket seats and a sportier trim.

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