Ex-Skoda CEO Thomas Schäfer announced in June 2021 that three electric vehicles will follow the Enyaq before the end of the decade, all of which will be smaller and less expensive. One of them will be a production version of the Vision 7S crossover concept, as well as an entry-level EV teased in early May of this year. Okay, but how about the third? So, it appears that the best-selling Octavia will be rocking down the electric avenue after 2025.
According to the British magazine Autocar, Mladá Boleslavians have begun work on an all-electric version of the popular compact-to-midsize car. Surprisingly, the zero-emissions Octavia will forego the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform, which was used by the Enyaq, in favor of the upcoming SSP. It is said to use a more technologically advanced battery than the 89-kWh pack used in the Vision 7S concept, which Skoda claims is good for 600 kilometers (373 miles) and a maximum charging power of 200 kilowatts.
The standard Octavia EV is expected to have dual electric motors mounted at the front, one for each wheel, while a hotter RS derivative would add two at the back, allowing for all-wheel drive. It would not be the first Octavia RS with AWD, as the diesel version of the ICE-powered model has long been available with an all-paw system as an option. The performance variant is unlikely to be available from the start, as logic dictates that Skoda will launch the Rally Sport at least a year after the standard car.
The Octavia EV will not be the end of the TSI and TDI models, according to Autocar, because Skoda intends to keep the conventionally powered models in the lineup. It will, however, be forced to abandon combustion engines in 2035, when the European Union imposes a sales ban on all new cars that emit emissions. Meanwhile, the current fourth-generation model (fifth if you include the original 1959-1971 model) will receive a mid-cycle refresh in 2024.
Skoda has already partially electrified the Octavia by introducing a plug-in hybrid powertrain with two power levels, the more potent of which is reserved for the RS shown here. Furthermore, the larger Superb flagship has a PHEV setup and will continue to include a charging port for its next generation, which will arrive sometime next year.