The Mladá Boleslav factory has been upgraded during the works holidays to handle the new Fabia, and according to ŠKODA Board Member for Production Michael Oeljeklaus: “It’s always a big moment when the first vehicle of a newly developed model rolls of the line.

“This particularly applies to the new Fabia, as this great car is an important pillar in ŠKODA’s growth strategy.

“Our teams from Development and Production have put in meticulous and intensive preparation and commitment to get the small car up and running – a car that will set new benchmarks in its segment.”

As for the car itself – ŠKODA says the new Fabia is “simply more car” in every respect, with “a more expressive and emotionally-rich design language”.

There will also be much more scope for customisation than ever before, inside and out, with the option of some “big car” technology features, including MirrorLink technology for smartphone integration.

The company is also promising that the third-generation ŠKODA Fabia will have a new range of engines designed to use up to 17% less fuel than the old car.