The Skoda Enyaq SUV – the brand’s first dedicated electric car – will make its debut on 1 September
Skoda has announced that the Enyaq electric SUV will make its official debut on 1 September in an online event, and has teased its Tesla Model Y rival for the first time.
When it goes on sale in 2021, it will be the firm’s first dedicated electric vehicle, acting as an alternative for the Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia e-Niro battery-powered SUVs, too.
Best electric cars to buy 2020
Best electric cars to buy 2020Judging by the sketch, the new Enyaq’s design will be weighted more to that of a traditional two-box SUV than a coupe-inspired one, as is popular with modern electric SUVs.
Skoda has also said that the Enyaq will boast a “generous” amount of cabin space. The company says it’ll have a similarly sized cabin to the Kodiaq SUV, despite being shorter in length than the conventional Octavia hatchback.
Skoda also released some additional information on the Enyaq’s platform and powertrain. We knew the pure-electric SUV was going to be based on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB underpinnings – but Skoda has now confirmed that buyers will have their choice of rear- or four-wheel-drive, along with three battery sizes and five power outputs.
The Enyaq’s platform will offer support for the latest 125kW DC fast charging technology, which should allow the SUV’s battery pack to recover 125 miles of range in as little as 15 minutes. Skoda has also stated that the Enyaq’s largest battery pack will provide a claimed WLTP range of up to 311 miles.
New 2021 Skoda Enyaq spied
Over the last few months, our spy photographers have Skoda’s Enyaq development mules undergoing testing – and these images offer a better indication of how the finished SUV will look, both inside and out.
The Enyaq will adopt a similar sloping roofline to the Vision iV concept, albeit raised up to improve the level of passenger and boot space. The rest of the Enyaq’s styling falls in-line with Skoda’s existing range of combustion-engined vehicles. It shares the same shape grille, headlight design and bumpers as the Karoq – along with an entirely conventional set of Skoda alloy wheels and familiar panel mouldings for the bonnet.
A recent interior shot hints that the Enyaq will be available with a huge central touchscreen and a smaller digital instrument binnacle. The technology looks identical to the infotainment setup found in the Volkswagen ID.3, but the Skoda’s dashboard is new.
Following Skoda’s most recent announcement, we expect the Enyaq will share its powertrain and battery line-up with its chassis sibling, the forthcoming Volkswagen ID.4 SUV.
As such, the standard model should feature the same 201bhp electric motor mounted on the rear axle and an identical 82kWh underfloor battery pack, which should provide the same 99mph top speed and 311-mile cruising range. The range-topping model will be fitted with an electric motor on each axle, providing four-wheel-drive and an output of upwards of 300bhp.
The Enyaq establishes a new naming convention within the Skoda range where electric models will take names starting with “E.” In addition to this, the new car name also ties-in with Skoda’s existing SUV model line of Kamiq, Karoq and Kodiaq by ending with a “Q.”
As the first Skoda model to be based on the MEB platform, the Skoda Enyaq will be a landmark car for the brand. It’s the next step in a Skoda plan to offer 10 electrified models (plug-in hybrid and fully electric) under the iV sub brand by the end of 2022, but it also uses tech that we’ll see in wide use across the VW Group in the coming years.
Skoda estimates that electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles will make up 25 per cent of its sales by 2025 and hopes will be high for the Enyaq to realise a significant chunk of that total by slotting into the ever-popular SUV class. To that end, it says it will have invested 2 billion euros in electric car development and connected systems by the time 2025 comes around.
What does the Skoda Enyaq have to beat? Have a look at our list of the best electric cars on sale now…
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