Red light for Skoda Greenline in Oz?

Skoda has rolled out a second-generation Greenline range in Europe with a suite of technologies fast heading for standard-fixture status the auto industry wide: downsized engine, auto stop-start, brake energy regeneration systems and a shift-now indicator.

But with what Skoda Australia's Matthew Wiesner (pictured) describes as "a fair bit on our plate at the moment" -- most recently the release of the topline Superb wagon -- it will be a while before Australia sees any of the new gear.

The company's new Greenline II versions of its recently facelifted Roomster and Fabia wagon models adopt parent company Volkswagen's fast-growing portfolio of technologies designed to reduce emissions and fuel consumption.

Rounding out the Greenline II package on both models are aerodynamic modifications like a lowered body with slippery underside and low resistance tyres.

The Greenline II range borrows the new three-cylinder 1.2 TDI supercharged diesel engine that appeared recently in the new Polo, which the company claims is good for Euro V-compliant 3.4L/100km combined cycle consumption, with CO2 emissions of 89g/km in the Fabia, and 4.1L/100km with 109g/km CO2 for the Roomster.

Both Greenline models share the five-speed transmission used in their conventional counterparts, helping them deliver what Skoda describes as "the same responsiveness but with lower consumption".

Stop-start systems send the engine into a 'sleep' mode when drivers pull up to traffic lights, depress the clutch and shift to neutral. As the clutch is depressed again to engage first gear, it restarts automatically.

Skoda claims that working in alongside the regenerative braking system, which converts braking friction into electrical energy to keep the battery constantly topped up, cuts CO2 emissions by 2-4g/km.

Wiesner said the company has yet to determine if the Greenline range has a place in Australia. The company's first priority lies with adding breadth to its lineup. "We're working on new models here, and most of our models are low-emission as it is. We're concentrating on the Superb wagon for now -- it was already garnering more dealer enquiries than the sedan before we'd even launched it."

The Fabia mini is currently scheduled to arrive here late 2011, but the volatility of currency fluctuations mean timing is hard to nail down.

The appearance of auto stop-start and shift-now indicators in low-end Volkswagen and Skoda models highlights the speed with which the technology is flowing downmarket -- a year ago or less it was the domain of mid- and upmarket models like Mini's Cooper D and BMWs.

Asked about the possibility of introducing individual technologies to help 'green up' the conventional powertrain lineup it's introducing here, Wiesner said it's first a matter of getting more powertrains and models here. "We'll look at technology updates like stop start down the track."

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