Skoda readies the VisionS based Kodiaq SUV for Paris debut and begins developing an all-electric vehicle

Skoda has been quite busy lately and has been undergoing quite the revamp. The company recently launched its new flagship sedan, the Superb in India and showed its first ever 7-seater SUV, the VisionS at the 86th Geneva Motorshow barely a month ago. And now the Czech company is readying the production version of the VisionS which is set to be unveiled at the Paris Motorshow in October. Christened the Kodiaq, it will be the company’s first ever 7-seater SUV. Now, the VisionS is set to be the foundation on which the Kodiaq will be based. The VisionS itself is based on VW’s modular MQB platform. The boxy design with prominent lines are touted to be more or less unaltered and could blur the lines between concept and production car further (they did it first with the Superb). The dimensions too could be more or less the same measuring 4,700mm in length, 1,910mm in width and 1,680mm height.

The wheelbase should be around 2,790mm. The VisionS concept was unveiled as a plug-in hybrid with a 1.4 TSI motor at the helm making 156PS of max power and 250Nm of peak torque coupled with an electric motor that provides 53PS of continuous power and 220Nm of peak torque. And this is expected to power the Kodiaq as well. The SUV will probably be launched in Europe by the end of this year. If you thought we were doing this news piece just to make you jealous you would be wrong.  India loves its SUVs and Skoda is well aware of that and hence we could see the Kodiaq on our roads in 2017. Though the plug-in hybrid could be offered in India as well but Skoda’s tried and tested 1.8 TSI and 2.0 TDI engines will definitely power Skoda’s new SUV venture. In addition, expect the engines to be mated to 6-speed manual or 7-speed DSG transmissions.

The Kodiaq will go up against the likes of the Ford Endeavour and more specifically, the Volkswagen Tiguan in India. 

But wait, there’s more, spring boarding off the VisionS concept is Skoda’s first electric car which has recently gone into development. The car is yet unnamed and will make its debut not before 2020-21. The car will be based on VW Group’s new MEB battery-electric platform. The engineers from Skoda are a part of this program whose target is to produce an all-electric vehicle which has a range capability of over 480km, can be charged fully in 15 minutes and costs comparably less to an internal combustion vehicle. 

For those who don’t know, the MEB platform is a new platform from the VW Group which has been developed specifically for electric vehicles and the VW BUDD-e, debuted at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas was the first car to be built on the platform. The details yet remain scarce but the car is likely to be a hatchback with more practical attributes like a bigger cabin and a larger luggage space. The packaging of the batteries has been borrowed from the VisionS which house its batteries in the middle of the platform hence freeing up room for an extra row of seats and a 690-litre boot. Skoda also plans a number of plug-in hybrids in the coming years and it comes as the group’s response to the recent Dieselgate debacle.