Cooling EV sales shake up Skoda's product plans

The head of Volkswagen-owned Czech carmaker Skoda has admitted slowing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has led the brand to revise its future model plans, with petrol power given a stay of execution.

Speaking to UK publication Autocar, Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer said the company’s previous target of launching four new EVs within the next two years has undergone adjustments due to market demands.

“To be totally honest, with the slowdown of the transformation into battery-electric vehicles, we’re revisiting that [EV timeline],” Mr Zellmer said.

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“We’re checking the sequence of those cars. The cadence now is we’ve had the Enyaq Coupe, the Elroq, the next one is the Epiq, and the next one down the line will be the SUV, the 7S you’ve seen the concept car of.

“After that – it could be 2027, 2028 – we’re aiming for an Octavia estate.”

Last year, Skoda teased six electric concept cars, all of which were planned to launch by 2026.

These included the Elroq (unveiled this week), facelifts for the Enyaq and Enyaq Coupe, the Epiq (a concept of which was subsequently revealed this year), an electric wagon (now understood to wear the Octavia badge), and a production version of the 7S Concept.

The delayed launch of the electric Octavia wagon places it closer to the on-sale date of the ninth-generation Volkswagen Golf, which is now reportedly due in 2028.

Volkswagen has traditionally launched the new Golf first before its Octavia cousin follows, with the two models sharing the same underpinnings for the past handful of generations.

These revised EV plans also impact Skoda’s lineup of petrol-powered models, with Mr Zellmer telling Autocar the brand has essentially extended the life of three small vehicles by three years.

“Originally, we said that we were going to phase out the Fabia, Kamiq and the Scala by 2027, but we have now green-lighted those cars to stay with us until the end of the decade, because the [EV sales] slowdown is happening as we speak,” Mr Zellmer said.

“We have always said that we would cater to what consumers want and not what we think is the right method of transport or drivetrain. We always said we’re going to try and be as flexible as possible.”

In Australia, the Kamiq is by far Skoda’s most popular car, accounting for more than a quarter of the brand’s overall sales in the first nine months of 2024.

Despite being its most expensive and largest model, the Kodiaq is its second-best seller, ahead of the Octavia.

Skoda is belatedly introducing an EV to Australia, with deliveries of the Enyaq – arriving in coupe form only – set to begin in December.

The new Elroq is expected from July 2025.

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