The current generation Skoda Fabia RS will be the last according to a UK report, with a senior board member confirming the demise of the sports variant for the next-generation city car due next year.
Speaking with Autocar, Skoda board member for technical development Frank Welsch said, "A lot of people think the Fabia vRS (as it is badged in the UK) is a great car, but we cannot work on cars that everyone likes but only a few people buy".
The move would leave the Czech brand with only one RS model in its range, that being the mid-sized Octavia RS.
While bad news for supporters of the full-tilt 132kW/250Nm twin-charged 1.4-litre four-cylinder Fabia RS, Welsch made clear that the 77kW/175Nm Fabia Monte Carlo – an solely aesthetically tricked-up variant of the standard Fabia – would remain in the line-up.
"People don't only like the Fabia vRS's engine, they also like the sporty look: a sporty interior and sporty exterior," Welsch said.
"We have had good success with our Monte Carlo Fabias. They have a special, elegant and sporty look."
Locally, the $27,990 Skoda Fabia RS, which features a dual exhaust, sports suspension, 17-inch wheels, red RS brake callipers and a 129mm ground clearance, is $3700 dearer than its Monte Carlo sibling (pictured below) with its turbocharged 1.2-litre unit and 16-inch wheels.
The Fabia RS's twin, the Volkswagen Polo GTI, starts at $27,790 in three-door guise and $29,190 with five doors.
