SKODA has teamed up with engineering specialist Tickford to develop a dual-fuel Felicia estate powered by petrol and liquefied petroleum gas. The initiative takes advantage of the Felicia's low entry price, which remains competitive even when the £1,500 conversion cost is taken into account.

Dermot Kelly ,director of Skoda, said: 'Given our low cost of production and the low running costs of LPG, this will be an attractive package for a number of municipal fleets. With the 1.6 GLX estate on the road for under £10,000, and £1,500 for the LPG conversion, you have a car which would compete with Escort and Astra, but with an operating cost less than diesel.'

LPG versions of Skoda's pick-up and cube van are also on the cards, depending on fleet interest. This has been a record year for the Czech manufacturer in the UK, with sales to October 1 equalling total sales for the whole of 1996.