Skoda has revealed first details of its new all-electric baby SUV, boldly called the Skoda Epiq, that’s set to cost around €25,000 (£22,000) and revive the spirit of the original Yeti when it goes on sale after a public debut next year.
Although the car in these official images is technically a design study, Auto Express understands that it is pretty close to the model that will make it into showrooms, including the interior.
With the concept’s compact, upright stance and flexible interior, Skoda fans will immediately draw comparisons with the popular Yeti SUV that was axed amongst uproar in 2017. At 4,100mm long, the Epiq is marginally shorter than the Yeti, although it out-punches the older car when it comes to boot space, offering an impressive 490 litres of space compared to the Yeti’s 416 litres.
There are plenty of traditional Skoda Simply Clever features inside, including a floating centre console with a handy spot for wireless phone charging, deep door pockets, cargo hooks in the boot, and underfloor storage. But the interior is bang up to date, with a large central touchscreen and a row of physical buttons lower down, while your smartphone will be able to act as a digital key and sustainable materials feature throughout the cabin.
The Epiq is the latest embodiment of Skoda’s Modern Solid design language, with sharp lines, subtle detailing and clean surfaces. The clamshell bonnet features the new Skoda lettering on the front edge – there’s no sign of the winged Skoda logo anywhere on the car – with slim T-shaped LED lights in the corner and small LED slashes that extend toward the centre where the bonnet protrudes into the grille. The grille itself is actually a smooth, glossy black panel that Skoda calls the Tech-Deck because it hides cameras and sensors for the driver-assistance systems; it’s been seen before, of course, on the Vision 7S concept.
The matrix-LED headlamps are split from the daytime-running lights – as they were on the first-generation Yeti – and sit lower down and feed into another full-width, but slimmer black panel. The bumper features Jeep-like vertical panels, but that might be one element that doesn’t make it into the production model.
The side profile features pronounced wheel arches surrounded by black cladding, while a distinct shoulder line extends over the rear wheels with a shark-fin c-pillar sitting above. The roof gently slopes towards the back into an aerodynamic spoiler, while there are more T-shaped LED lights and a repeat of the eight vertical panels from the front in the rear bumper. Again, the Skoda name is spelled out across the boot lid.
Skoda boss Klaus Zellmer describes the Epiq as “offering a spacious interior within a compact interior, all at an attractive price”, just as the Yeti did when it was launched in 2009. “We have listened to our customers and understand they are looking for attractive options, which is why we are expanding our e-mobility portfolio into this popular segment,” he added.
The Epiq will sit on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB small platform that will also be used for the upcoming Volkswagen ID. 2 and Cupra Raval – and it will be built at the same factory in Pamplona, Spain.
Although Skoda has said that the Epiq will have a range of up to around 250 miles, it hasn’t released any further technical information. However, Volkswagen did reveal some battery, power and performance details when it previewed the ID.2 with the ID.2all Concept, so it’s safe to assume that the same would apply to the Epiq.
The Volkswagen concept boasted of two different sizes of battery – 38 and 56kWh – with the larger pack feeding a front-mounted motor producing 223bhp, enough for a 0-62mph time of around seven seconds. VW claimed a longer range of around 280 miles for the larger battery, with fast 125 kW DC charging taking the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in around 20 minutes.
As for the Epiq name, it follows Skoda’s EV naming strategy or E for electric and Q to identify the car as an SUV. It’s another confident name from Skoda, along similar lines to the Superb, but apparently comes from the ancient Greek word ‘epos’ which means word, verse, tale or poem.
The Epiq will feature in a line-up of six new Skodas electric cars to be launched over the coming years. First to arrive will be the Skoda Elroq before the end of this year, with others including updated versions of the Enyaq hatch and coupé, a production version of 2022’s Vision 7S concept, and an even smaller model that Skoda is hoping could rival the Dacia Spring on price, at under £20,000.
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