Skoda Enyaq BEV: fresh details confirmed

The first Skoda battery electric vehicle likely to go on-sale in Australia continues to be teased ahead of its September 1 global reveal.

Essentially the Skoda version of the Volkswagen ID 4, the Enyaq iV is a five-door SUV that could be on-sale in Australia as soon as 2022.

So far the Czech brand has warmed the world up for the arrival of the Enyaq iV with last year’s Vision iV concept, some disguised on-road photography, design sketches of the production interior and now, design sketches of the production exterior.

All this promotional effort is understandable considering this is Skoda’s first EV, with more to follow in short order.

Trying to learn too much about a production car out of sketches is fraught with danger of course. However Skoda design director Karl Neuhold offered some hints of what’s coming in a Q&A interview released with the new exterior images.

“[Enyaq’s] proportions … differ from those of our previous SUV models: the Enyaq iV has a shorter front end and an elongated roofline. This creates a very dynamic look and transforms it into a proverbial ‘space shuttle’,” he said.

“The new proportions give it a special dynamic and a spacious interior, as well. Its large wheels and ground clearance give it the powerful presence of an SUV.”

Neuhold said the MEB basis allowed for shorter front and rear overhangs, but also made the body a tad higher than an ICE-based design because of the batteries under the floor.

“However, the longer wheelbase makes up for this visually,” he added. “The Enyaq iV’s body is also more elongated and extremely aerodynamic, which has a positive effect on the range. A cw value from 0.27 is impressive for an SUV of this size.”

Inside, Skoda is promising typically smart storage options, plentiful passenger space, a 585 litre boot and “state of the art connectivity and infotainment solutions”.

“The Enyaq iV benefits from the MEB platform’s long wheelbase, which – in relation to the body dimensions – offers an exceptionally spacious interior,” Skoda interior design chief Norbert Weber explained.

“The flat floor, which lacks the central tunnel we find in vehicles with combustion engines, also contributes to this. We have used this conceptual feature to make the interior visually even airier and to create a feeling of even more space. This can be seen, for example, on the new dashboard, which is arranged over several levels.”

The Enyaq will be offered with a choice of rear and all-wheel drive, three battery sizes and five power levels. The most likely model to come to Australia – at least initially – will be the 82kWh Enyaq iV, which is dubbed the 80.

That comes with a 150kW/310Nm synchronous permanent magnet motor with a range of as much as 500km on a single charge. It will have fast charging ability with an 80 per cent fill promised in 40 minutes.

Later there will be 62 (badged 60) and 55kWh versions (50), a dual-motor all-wheel drive option (80x) and even a higher-performance 225kW RS that is claimed to hit 100km/h in just 6.2 seconds.

Skoda Australia director Michael Irmer is a strong proponent of the Enyaq and electrification and all-but confirmed the car was coming to Australia during a pre-COVID interview with carsales.com.au.

We have put our hand up every strongly for that,” he told carsales.com.au in 2019, when asked about interest in the then-unseen Enyaq.

“We will start with top-end and top range at selected dealers. We will launch it as a halo car, it will be one of the most expensive vehicles we will have in the range.

“But like all our other models it will be absolute value for money. It will be exciting.”