Skoda Epiq electric SUV won’t be a $40,000 China fighter in Australia … but it will be well equipped
If you’re hoping the new Skoda Epiq electric compact SUV is going to be pitched against the Chinese brands with $40,000 pricing in Australia then you may be disappointed.
First pictures and details of the Epiq were revealed by the Czech Volkswagen group division in March, with target pricing from €25,000 when it goes on-sale in Europe in 2025.
That translates to around $40,000, which would certainly be tempting for a 4.1m five-door five-seat SUV with an expected range up to 400km.
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The problem is, the €25,000 Epiq will be a bare bones car and that is not the way Skoda goes about its business in Australia.
If it comes to Australia – it’s not yet confirmed – the Epiq will be well equipped in terms of technology, safety and comfort features – and that will drive the price up.
“You need to compare apples with apples,” Skoda Australia managing director Michael Irmer said.
“We really want the car,” he added. “It’s not confirmed for Australia yet, but we’re working on it.”
Meanwhile, Skoda Australia has confirmed its first battery electric vehicle on-sale in Australia will be the Enyaq SUV in its flagship coupe body style.
The more traditional wagon body is on-hold for now.
That’s all about giving the Enyaq a point of distinction in the increasingly crowded mid-size EV SUV space, where it will fight the likes of the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai IONIQ 5, Toyota bZ4X and upcoming Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5, with which the Enyaq shares underbody components.
The Enyaq coupe will arrive in 210kW regular rear-drive form and as the sportier RS in October or November and priced from around $70,000 – although Skoda isn’t giving much away about those sorts of details at the moment.
Other EVs expected to come to from Skoda soon include a medium electric SUV called the Elroq that’s yet to be revealed in-full and an all-electric seven-seat SUV previewed by the Vision 7S concept.
