Skoda undecided about affordable all-electric Volkswagen ID. rival

Skoda has yet to commit to a more affordable electric car that could sit alongside the Volkswagen ID. hatchback and SEAT el-Born in the forthcoming range of MEB models, the CEO has admitted.

The Czech manufacturer will launch its first vehicle based on the MEB all-electric platform next year. A production version of the Vision iV large SUV coupe, built on the longer MEB wheelbase shared with the likes of the VW ID. Crozz, it will be made on the same line as the Octavia at Skoda’s home factory in Mlada Boleslav.

• Volkswagen ID. hatch order books to open in May

The new model will be part of Skoda’s plan to launch “at least 10” fully electric, plug-in hybrid or 48-volt mild-hybrid vehicles by 2022 - but while this number will include an additional MEB model, the company’s CEO Bernhard Maier told Auto Express that it has yet to commit to following VW and SEAT with a more affordable pure-electric offering.

“We have two MEB cars coming. One is the basis and the other is the derivative of that first model,” Maier said. These cars are understood to be the Vision iV coupe and a regular SUV with a more conventional roofline. They should both reach market by the end of 2021. 

However, Maier said Skoda is “still working on” the idea of a more affordable MEB model - in the same way as VW’s stated goal of selling the entry-level ID. hatchback for about the same price as a well-specced diesel Golf. “This platform is really multi-functional. It is usable for different car sizes and different car segments,” Maier said. “We are looking for a lower-specced car as well. And once we have a positive business case we can come up with a clear solution.”

He added, “We want to do a car like the ID. hatchback or the [SEAT] el-Born, but it has to be one step after the other. We have a clear product target.” 

Maier did admit, however, that the cheaper MEB model could be at the heart of rumoured plans for a car based on the platform to be built at Skoda’s Kvasiny factory - the same plant where the plug-in hybrid version of the Superb will be produced from later this year.

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