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If ever there was a case of opportune timing this has to be it: just as snow begins to fall over the country Skoda has announced that 4x4 is now available on the Octavia hatchback model. Starting from €27,995 the new Octavia 4x4 reduces the entry point to all-wheel drive surety by €1,100 as 4x4 has been exclusively available on the Combi estate model up to this point.
"The all-wheel drive market is extremely weather dependent in Ireland. During the cold snap in 2012 we saw Skoda 4x4 sales increase fivefold for all-wheel drive vehicles. This was a direct consequence of the severity of the winter of 2011. With recent milder winters we have seen demand for 4x4 vehicles decrease and we delivered one hundred 4x4 vehicle to Irish customers in 2014," said Skoda's Head of Marketing Raymond Leddy.
"Now with the addition of a hatchback 4x4, buyers can insure themselves against any potentially harsh winter driving conditions over the course of their car's lifetime, at just a small incremental cost on the purchase price," adds Leddy.
With the hatchback making up the vast majority of the regular Octavia range the addition of the 4x4 hatchback is expected to boost those numbers.
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