Skoda isn't considering launching an electric car smaller than the forthcoming Epiq in the future, preferring to focus its entry-level efforts on its existing ICE models.
The Epiq will arrive next year using the Volkswagen Group’s new MEB Entry platform, which it will share with the Volkswagen ID Polo, Volkswagen ID Cross and Cupra Raval – all of which will be priced from around £22,000.
While that project has been a joint effort across the Group’s three ‘Core’ brands, Volkswagen is also working on a production version of the ID Every1 concept– tipped to revive the Up name – as an electric city car with a target price of around £17,000.
That has been referred to as purely a Volkswagen brand project, and Skoda boss Klaus Zellmer confirmed that the Czech brand has “consciously designed not to be part of that market”.
He said: “We believe that with the [ICE] Fabia, Kamiq and Scala and the material cost price we can realise in the market, we’re in a strong position".
"We would rather look at the other end,” he added referring to the forthcoming production version of the Vision 7S seven-seat SUV concept.
Zellmer said that the decision made sense because “Volkswagen has always been the brand that covers it all”, adding: “You have to make decisions and say ‘do we want a BEV-only vehicle in that segment or do we believe in the Fabia, Kamiq and Scala being the ones that deliver the most for us in terms of profit and getting our investment back?’.
“In terms of a business model, that's a wise decision to let Volkswagen play on that side. The most importantly thing in the brand group Core is that we don't stand on each other's feet: we want to have a big footprint in the market.”
Skoda will continue to invest in the Fabia, Kamiq and Scala, with sales boss Martin Jahn confirming that some level of hybrid technology will be introduced for the Fabia and Kamiq.
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