Skoda has just issued the first official details for the new Citigo Monte Carlo. Following in the footsteps of the Fabia Monte Carlo, the Citigo gets a 15mm drop in ride height, chunky 15-inch alloy wheels (with 16s available as an option), tinted windows and sunroof, a black radiator grille and lower air dam, black mirror covers and spoiler and a big black 'diffuser' at the back.
Inside you'll find leather-trimmed, red-stitched coverings on the steering wheel, handbrake and gear lever while almost everything that can be painted black (black is sporty dontcha know?) is. There are also sports seats and a plaque on the dashboard, just in case you'd forgotten you were driving a Monte Carlo edition.
The Monte Carlo is based on the Ambition trim spec, so head/thorax airbags, an anti-lock brake system (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC), four three-point seatbelts, seatbelt alarm and Isofix fittings on the outer rear seat are all standard. There's also front electric windows, central locking with remote control, folding split rear seat backrest and some other neat little design details.
Those expecting more power will be disappointed though - the standard 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine is the only one available, in either 60- or 75hp forms, with a manual or automatic gearbox. Still, the lack of a big-block V8 hasn't hurt Citigo sales so far - 45,000 were sold worldwide last year.
"The demand for the Fabia Monte Carlo has shown that our customers desire custom-designed cars with a sporty streak," says Raymond Leddy, Head of Marketing & Product at Skoda Ireland.
Anything else?
Skoda is being rather coy about other, future Monte Carlo models but it's pretty much a dead-cert that the Yeti, Rapid and Octavia will all get the Monte treatment at some stage soon.