Skoda A-Entry on way

Skoda is planning a rival to the VW Golf and Ford Focus. The new car, codenamed ‘A-Entry’, will sit between the Fabia and Octavia when it goes on sale in early 2013, Skoda has confirmed to Auto Express.Based on the MissionL seen at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show, it will be sold as a saloon – and Skoda has already had “discussions over a five-door hatchback version”. The MissionL is described as “80 per cent of the finished car”, and the A-Entry will take Skoda into a new market sector. While the Octavia is based on the Golf, it’s 37cm longer and sits between the classes.The new compact family car will be based on a stretched version of the VW Polo platform, and will be slightly shorter than a Golf but bigger than the Fabia. This will allow Skoda to increase the size of the next Octavia.Engines will be carried over from the Polo and Golf, with a line-up of petrol and diesel turbos. An eco-friendly Greenline variant will also be offered, emitting less than 100g/km of CO2.The A-Entry is just one of a long list of new Skodas, with plans to launch a model every six months from the start of next year. These include the VW up!-based CitiGo – the first production car to get the family grille seen on the MissionL – plus a seven-seat Yeti.Mercedes and Audi will also rival the Golf with the new A-Class and A3.