Skoda Australia won’t bring the previously confirmed Octavia 140TSI Sportline here after all, instead choosing to focus on the 110TSI Style and flagship RS.
There are no plans to introduce a new 140TSI variant.
Octavia orders are split evenly between the 110TSI Style and RS in Australia, and CarExpert understands the Sportline was scuttled as it would have butted up against its higher-performance sibling in terms of its positioning.
The 110TSI Style costs $40,990 drive-away in liftback guise and $42,490 drive-away as a wagon, while the RS costs $55,990 and $57,490 drive-away in liftback and wagon guises, respectively.
Octavia supply has freed up after the model was affected by the same issue afflicting the related Volkswagen Golf: a lack of semiconductor chips for the reversing camera.
Skoda now says Octavias are readily available, though if you’re after a particular specification you could be looking at a wait of up to three months.
First announced in 2021, the Sportline was set to become a permanent member of the local Octavia family in 2022, helping to bridge the gap between the 110kW/250Nm 110TSI and 180kW/370Nm RS.
It wears a gloss black front spoiler, grille frame and rear diffuser, as well as unique alloy wheels, and features a sports steering wheel inside plus sports seats upholstered in ThermoFlux trim.
In Europe, it’s also available with adaptive suspension, though the trim level isn’t offered with the 140kW/320Nm engine. Instead, it’s offered with 110kW/250Nm turbo-petrol and 110kW/360Nm turbo-diesel engines.
The Sportline’s now cancelled launch was preceded by the introduction of a stopgap 140TSI Limited Edition earlier in 2021. That model has now been removed from local price lists along with the 110TSI Ambition.
A facelifted Octavia is due here in 2024 alongside updated versions of the Scala and Kamiq.
Skoda sold 377 Octavias in the first quarter of this year, making it the brand’s third best-seller behind only the Kamiq and Karoq.
MORE: Everything Skoda Octavia
