Skoda is gearing up for a double electric onslaught by the start of the next decade, launching a pure-electric hatchback and a coupe-SUV that’s likely to become the most expensive car in the brand’s 122-year history.
The Czech producer will launch its electrified car technique with a superb plug-in hybrid and an electric version of its Citigo in 2019. but it will really push ahead with its dedicated EV plans a year later, with the production version of its Vision E concept, which was revealed at this year’s Shanghai motor Show. It’ll be one of the first cars to appear on the VW Group’s new MEB chassis architecture, which has been developed to accommodate all-electric powertrains.
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Volkswagen’s I.D. will be the first MEB car, with an Audi variant following soon after. Skoda’s effort is being given practically the same level of priority in the rollout because of the company’s burgeoning sales in China, seen as a essential developing region for EVs, so it’ll appear in 2020.
The coupe-SUV will sit between the Karoq and Kodiaq in length, but the smart packaging allowed by MEB ought to imply that its interior space is at least a match for the latter of those models.
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The number of batteries required to power its 302bhp electric motors and deliver an expected range of up to 500km (310 miles) will imply a price label of around £40,000. That would make it the most expensive car in Skoda’s line-up, but around half the price of a Tesla model X.