That's the line being taken by Volkswagen, which is afraid that Skoda cars are too close to the main brand in specification and eating into sales of VW brand cars.
Other 'VW Board Snip' decisions include the dropping of of the Climatic semi-automatic climate control system with a cooled glove box. And it is believed the Fabia will get a cheaper instruments panel than is in the VW sibling Polo.
Across Europe, Skoda dealers are unhappy with the changes.
In Ireland, Skoda is enjoying strong sales, with waiting lists a feature.
