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Mladá Boleslav, 21 November 2014 – ŠKODA's new rally car has been thrilling the public around the world on social media channels. The posts showing videos and images of the Fabia R 5 in its 'camouflaged' zebra look have achieved record figures on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. A concept car of the high-tech model developed in Mladá Boleslav will be presented to the public for the first time at the Essen Motor Show from 29 November to 7 December.

ŠKODA has been releasing the first images and videos of the new Fabia R 5 in the social media since mid-October. They have prompted an impressive reaction from users: in the months September to November, three posts regarding the new rally car have made it to the top of the list of articles on the ŠKODA Motorsport Facebook page that have enjoyed the greatest coverage. The posts about the new Fabia R 5 have been up to ten times more popular than other articles. On ŠKODA's global Facebook account, the latest film about the Fabia R 5 alone has so far reached almost 1.5 million users, with over 50,000 fans having watched the video on YouTube.

"The interest in the ŠKODA Fabia R 5 is huge. The concept of viral marketing via social media channels has been a total success," said Stefan Büscher, Head of ŠKODA Marketing. "Rally fans are not the only ones discussing ŠKODA's new rally car – it is also arousing positive emotions towards the ŠKODA brand among the general public."

A short film with spectacular images taken in an underground garage, which alludes to the launch of the Fabia R 5 Concept Car at the Essen Motor Show, has proven to be particularly popular. The car in the film is driven by Asia-Pacific Rally Champion Jan Kopecký (CZ) who is part of the test team, which also includes European Champion Esapekka Lappi (FIN), experienced rally driver "Fast" Freddy Loix (B) and multiple Austrian champion Raimund Baumschlager.

"We are well on schedule with the challenging R 5 project, which began in January 2014. The goal remains to have the car homologated by mid-2015 at the latest," said ŠKODA Motorsport Director Michal Hrabánek. That is when the Fabia R 5 is also expected to make its rally debut. As well as the sporty exterior, the new Fabia R 5 also features a lot of high-tech. In keeping with FIA regulations, the new racing car is powered by a 1.6-litre turbo engine. This is a big change compared to the two-litre induction engine used in the Fabia Super 2000. The new car also features a sequential, five-speed gearbox and McPherson struts. The weight will, in accordance with the regulations, be no lower than 1230 kilograms.

There is enormous interest in ŠKODA's new rally hope: during the viral marketing campaigns for the new Fabia R 5, the number of 'likes' received on the ŠKODA Motorsport Facebook page shot up by 40,000 to 217,000. A similarly positive development has been witnessed on Twitter, where the number of followers has risen to over 6000 on the back of the social media communication regarding the new rally car. As well as the sporty appearance of the new Fabia R 5, the camouflage look with black and white zebra stripes has also gone down particularly well with the public.

ŠKODA released new material on its new hope this Friday. The fourth video of the new Fabia R 5 will provide an exclusive look into the making-of a film made for the car's first outing at the Essen Motor Show. The captivating footage was filmed in an underground car park in Prague.

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