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The Skoda Octavia will carry on for the foreseeable future, likely in electric form.
While the world continues to turn to SUVs, Skoda is pushing on with its other vehicles. The Octavia has been around for 25 years and will continue to be a part of the brand’s line-up going forward, offering combustion and plug-in powertrains, along with an electric version in the future.
According to Autocar UK, the Czech brand is investigating the EV Octavia ahead of the potential combustion sales ban in Europe in 2035. It would also work into Skoda’s goal of 70% of profits coming from EV sales by 2030.
Skoda’s CEO, Klaus Zellmer, said that he didn’t want to rule out a combustion-powered Octavia for global markets, which means the electric version would probably ride on a different platform. This could be the upcoming SSP architecture, as the e-Octavia is expected to launch later in the decade.
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“The Octavia is a fantastic car that we of course will have to keep in the family as long as we can as we have such a huge customer base… and we are market leaders for the [estate] segment. Never change a winning team,” said Zellmer.
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Interestingly, the electric Octavia could be a more rugged offering than previous models.
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“I think that car is Skoda [through and through], but when you look at the future position [of the brand] and we talk about Modern Solid as attributes to our design language, yes, this will be more cars that are in the market to go off-road, to accommodate more people, to have a bit more of a bold appearance, but we need to do both – [this and the Octavia].
“It is really important for our brand to stay true to our values and to our heritage.” Zellmer also hinted that as part of the brand’s push for more SUV-type cars, the Octavia could get a variant with higher ground clearance – designed for light off-road use.
He said: “We want to bring some surprises to the market.”
As for performance, it’s too early to really say but Internet murmurs suggest it will have a new version of Skoda’s 89kWh battery with a range nearing 600km and able to charge at rates of up to 200kW.
If Skoda wants to give the Octavia true off-road chops, at least two motors can be expected, with as many as four rumoured (one per wheel).
The electric Octavia will join a battery-powered range including a seven-seat SUV, an urban runabout, a new crossover, and a Fabia-replacing small SUV.
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