Skoda is seeing a steady but consistent build up in demand for electric cars as it embarks upon a sustained launch period for full electric and plug-in hybrid model variants.
The new Kodiak, due for launch early next year, will be available as a PHEV by the end of Q2 offering electric-only range of around 60 miles, while the next generation Superb will also have a PHEV option next year.
Order books for the new electric compact SUV Elroq will open by the end of 2024, which “will be a big volume car”, according to Nick O’Neill, Skoda head of direct sales.
The electric Vision 7S seven-seater SUV will go into production in 2026 followed by a small electric city car and an Octavia-sized estate BEV a year later.
“At that point we will have six BEVs and most will be in market by 2027,” O’Neill said. “We are happy with our line up at the moment because we operate in several parts of the market with job need as well as user-chooser. We have a lot of high mileage users that are reticent about BEV.
“However, we will see a significant ramp up in 2025/2026 and we will be 60-70% BEV sales by 2027.”
He added: “We are in a period of transition, and we will help our customers through that transition.”
Skoda is sitting in sixth place in true fleet after a strong start to the year and is targeting a 5% share of the market this year, which would be a new high. It is currently on 5.2%.
“This year is about fulfilling orders in the order bank, getting customers back into a regular change cycle and helping set them up for the EV transition,” O’Neill said.
