Skoda Australia has confirmed it will launch at least two electric vehicles in 2023, with the brand finally announcing that the Enyaq iV and Enyaq Coupe iV will be sold here.
The brand says that offering both the more traditional SUV bodystyle for the Enyaq and the sportier looking Enyaq Coupe will allow it to reach different target audiences, though it is expected both will be largely similar in terms of specification.
No pricing or detailed information about specification and standard equipment has been made by Skoda Australia, with the brand simply announcing its intent to offer Skoda electric car products alongside upcoming sibling models from Volkswagen (the upcoming ID.3 and ID.4) and the all-electric Cupra Born.
It is no surprise that all of these models are related, but Skoda thinks there’s a market for its own EV to launch. In fact, the brand’s head of sales and planning, Kieran Merrigan, says they’d be selling electric cars today if they had stock available, as there is palpable demand for plug-in cars in Australia right now.
“The challenge we’re always going to have is the supply and demand – in Europe the Enyaq’s demand is outstripping supply, and with fuel prices on the rise [it will increase further],” said Mr Merrigan.
“When I read automotive press, about 50 per cent of the coverage is on EVs, so the engagement is there. The demand is higher than the supply, and fuel prices are only going to drive that engagement,” he said. “The market is ready for EVs, and the level of interest suggests that anyway.”
When asked if Skoda will be limited in the number of models it can offer – as is the case with Kia and its EV6 (500 for 2022), and Hyundai and its Ioniq 5 (limited supply available in batches, including an initial 240 units) – Mr Merrigan suggested he hopes their won’t be a restriction on supply numbers, but said the lines of communication with the brand’s factories are open.
“Numbers are always in discussion and can be volatile, but we’re strong believers that EVs can work together with internal combustion cars.”
Mr Merrigan also suggested the moment may still come for customers waiting on governments to incentivize EV uptake, but that there’s already demand for new-tech cars even in places where no subsidies exist. For context, the Queensland government recently announced $3000 subsidies for EVs up to $58K in that state.
“Government incentives will help, and price parity [between petrol and electric models] will be key to opening more minds to the option of EV. But I don’t think it’s necessarily required at the moment. Should we? Absolutely. Should we follow Europe’s lead, New Zealand’s lead? Yes.
Dan Degasperi, product and PR communications manager for Skoda Australia, said there’s another way of looking at the position the Czech brand currently finds itself in – today the topic is EVs, but in recent years, the go-to was SUVs.
“I think context is also important for Skoda. A similar question was probably asked of Skoda five years ago or so, which was ‘where are your SUVs?’. When it was just the Yeti, as lovable as the Yeti is – now there’s Kamiq, Karoq, Kodiaq and that has grown our volume to record levels. To Kieran’s point, Enyaq orders will start next year, that seems like a similar story to our growth with SUVs,” he said.
Stay tuned for more on the Skoda Enyaq iV and Skoda Enyaq Coupe iV as news comes to hand.
Keyword: Electric cars incoming! Skoda confirms plans for EV rollout in Australia, starting with Tesla Model Y-rivalling Skoda Enyaq