Škoda moves up a class with an impressive Scala hatchback

The Czech carmaker has jettisoned the lacklustre Rapid in favour of a rather more interesting animal, writes Dave Humphreys

The new Škoda Scala may have some rivals running for cover
The Scala will be offered with two chassis set-ups

Czech marque Škoda, having rolled out two-thirds of its new SUV product plan to widespread acclaim and growing customer demand, is now turning its attention to the highly competitive hatchback segment.

One of its current protagonists, the Rapid (recently made famous by its use as transport by Pope Francis during his visit to Ireland), is a lacklustre offering eclipsed and outsold by the more popular Fabia ...