Czech automobile manufacturer Škoda has confirmed that not one, but two variants of its first all-electric vehicle, the Enyaq iV, are coming to the Australian market, with orders expected to open for both in the second half of 2023.
Reports emerged on Wednesday morning that the Skoda Enyaq iV SUV as well as the recently added Enyaq Coupé iV four door would go on sale next year in the Australian market, based on comments at the launch of the brand’s facelifted Kodiaq petrol SUV.
This has since been confirmed to The Driven by Volkswagen Group’s Paul Pottinger, who said that – until now – it had not been locked in that the Enyaq would make it to Australia, let alone both models.
“Škoda is able to confirm not one, but two EVs have been approved for Australia by the factory,” Pottinger said in an emailed statement.
“Škoda Australia was always intent on landing the Enyaq, but will also be able to offer the distinctive coupé as well.
“While the supply situation has seldom been more problematic, Škoda intends to have both these EVs available for order in the second half of next year,” he said.
Škoda, whose range of ICE vehicles have steadily grown in popularity in Australia over the past five years, announced its plans for the all-electric Enyaq in early 2020, based on the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electrification Toolkit (MEB).
At that time, Škoda unveiled the Enyaq as the first of 10 EVs to be launched under the Škoda iV sub-brand by the end of 2022, with the goal of EVs and plug-in hybrids making up 25% of sales by 2025.
Last month, Škoda added an elegant coupé model to the Enyaq iV family – also based on the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electrification Toolkit (MEB), but with a few more specs also released.
As The Driven reported here, the Enyaq coupé is expected to offer a choice of two battery sizes, rear- or all-wheel drive, and four power output options ranging from 132kW to 220kW, as well as a range of up to 545km (WLTP) depending on the specifications.
A panoramic glass roof adds to the styling of the Enyaq Coupé iV, as well as to the accompanying RS variant which, like the 80x model, features a second motor on the front axle along with a host of black design details and a full-length red reflector strip at the rear typical of the company’s RS models.
On the outside, the coupé is said to sport sleeker lines than its Enyaq iV 60 and iV80 SUV stablemates, which could mean that Škoda is looking to position the new coupé as a rival to the Tesla Model Y. It’s expected to go on sale in Europe later this year.
On price, Škoda Australia is confirming nothing yet, but judging by the price of the brand’s ICE models and by the Enyaq price in the UK, where the base model Enyaq iV 60 starts at £34,880 ($62,089.36), the Enyaq is likely to sit in the mid- to lower range on price and potentially will fall inside the cut-off price for at least some state EV rebates.
This article has been updated to correct Paul Pottinger’s first name.
Sophie is editor of One Step Off The Grid and deputy editor of its sister site, Renew Economy. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.