Despite doomsday predictions about how the trend to electric vehicles would bury the European, and especially the Czech, automotive industry, Škoda, based in Mladá Boleslav, ranks among Europe’s most successful EV manufacturers.
Following the highly successful Enyaq, Škoda scored another hit in the form of its smaller sibling, the Elroq, which is currently the best-selling electric car in Europe. That could change with the even smaller Epiq, which will have a slightly smaller range but also a significantly lower price—just around $30,000 in US money, though it’s not available in North America.
The Epiq will be a car that, while similar in size to the Fabia on the outside, will offer interior space closer to that of the Kamiq or Karoq. It will compete for attention in the new category of more affordable electric cars with its siblings, the VW ID.Polo and ID.Cross, and possibly the Cupra Raval, as well as with competitors from Renault and Kia. Impressive sales are expected.
But Škoda isn’t sitting idle, and even before the Epiq has hit the market, it’s already unveiling another model. This time, however, it’s from the opposite end of the spectrum.
Despite its image as a budget brand, Škoda has no plans for its own version of the miniature Volkswagen ID.Every1 (or whatever that car ends up being called), and instead is preparing a vehicle that will be one of the highlights of the MEB platform that’s used across the Volkswagen Group. The only larger car you can buy on the proven, albeit aging, platform is the retro ID.Buzz van.
The Škoda Peaq will be a large family SUV that will also be available in a seven-seat configuration and is expected to be 16 feet, 5 inches long. Given the platform used, we can expect technology largely similar to that of the Elroq and Enyaq models, but the longer wheelbase offers hope that we’ll see a larger battery, similar to the ID.Buzz and the large ID.7. After all, the Vision 7S concept SUV that Škoda has been teasing for a few years was already supposed to have an 89-kWh battery.
We’ll have to wait for the Peaq’s official presentation, which is expected to take place soon, for the technical details. But right now, we can already get a good idea of what the new model will look like.
An illustration of the Peaq.
Courtesy of ŠkodaSketches released this week, along with photos of camouflaged prototypes, suggest that the final product will closely resemble the Vision 7S concept unveiled in 2022. Unlike it, however, the eight rectangular elements in the bumper—which were retained only on the smaller Epiq and give it a more rugged, almost off-road character—will likely be gone. The Peaq is clearly aiming for a more minimalist elegance.
Otherwise, not surprisingly, the Peaq bears a strong resemblance to the smaller Epiq—with the exception that the angular minimalism of the design language will likely appear more balanced and graceful in a significantly larger version. What we certainly won’t see in the production model are rear doors that open in the opposite direction or a futuristic interior with a seat on the center tunnel.
The automaker has not yet disclosed details regarding performance, features, or pricing—but there is no reason to expect that they will differ significantly from similar models built on the same platform.
It will undoubtedly be the most expensive Škoda ever, and the automaker may thus venture into territory previously reserved for sub-premium brands such as Volvo. The question is whether customers will respond favorably. The success of the more expensive versions of current top-of-the-line models, whether it’s the electric Enyaq or the combustion-engine Kodiaq, suggests that they might.
This article was originally published by WIRED Czech Republic & Slovakia and has been translated from Czech.
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