The new Škoda Elroq has revealed its secrets, it will be another big step into the unknown for Škoda
yesterday | Petr Prokopec
Photo: Škoda Auto
The Czech car company is taking a risk by entering uncharted territory, and the new Elroq will be no exception. It will not only be about 20 cm shorter than the Enyaq, but also cheaper. As such, it could attract more people, but internal and external competition can be a problem for it.
There are only a few days left until the end of the year, so soon we will be able to browse countless annual sales statistics. Such a Škoda will most likely mention only the positives and social guarantees, as already in the first nine months of this year it had a 17.9 percent improvement compared to the same period last year. The largest percentage shift is then associated with the electric car Enyaq, which has a 47.6 percent year-on-year improvement. However, it still accounts for only eight percent (54,400 units) of the brand’s total sales (642,200 units).
Whether it is a success, judge for yourself. The total number is not bad, but only a few markets with a massive artificial preference for electric cars take care of it, so you can’t build on that very well. After satisfying the first wave of interest, the interest in electric drive is stagnating as the most generous subsidies fade away, and more than further support, new taxes and fees are on the horizon.
However, the brand still hopes to appeal to the masses with electric cars, and therefore continues to count on expansion, which will bring us a roughly 4.5-meter electric SUV called the Elroq as early as next year. Compared to the Skoda Enyaq, it will be approximately 20 centimeters shorter, but it will look more robust and like a true SUV, not a mix of several body styles. It can also be expected to have a lower price, but the range could, on the contrary, increase thanks to a shift in technology. But who will buy Enyaq after that?
Škoda Elroq qualifies as the electric successor of the SUV Karoq. The latter has 75,800 registrations in the first nine months of this year, i.e. 40 percent more than Enyaq. Something like this can be transformed into an electric success, but again only at the expense of the car already offered. However, the automaker intends to facelift it in 2025, just as it will also introduce a small electric car in that period. And a year later, an electric station wagon is also due to arrive, as well as a large electric SUV.
But this expansion could be problematic, as a limited group of customers will be spread among a larger portfolio, which may not be profitable even if it gets a sibling with a German or Spanish logo. In addition, it is also necessary to mention the competition, which is similarly active. The Ford Explorer using the same technology is due to arrive next year, just as we can expect Kia EV5 in the version from Hyundai or the new Peugeot e-3008.
The segment will therefore be stepped on, while the French SUV, for example, is expected to offer a range of over 700 km in the Long Range version, thanks to batteries with a capacity of 98 kWh. However, such a large package is not expected at the Volkswagen concern, customers will instead be able to choose between 58 and 77 kWh. Such a move will reduce the price, but it will still not be so low that the Elroq can be considered affordable for the masses. But as always, only time will tell the reality – for Škoda, this is another big step into the unknown, when it is not building on practically anything from what it has represented so far.
Can Skoda’s new electric SUV be successful? Perhaps yes, but to a large extent it can happen both at the expense of the already existing Enyaq and at the expense of the incinerator Karoq. Photo: Škoda Auto
Source: Auto WeekSkoda car
Petr Prokopec
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2023-12-27 16:41:28
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