As car makers and governments rush to stamp out petrol and diesel vehicles a big European brand has committed to keep selling them for the foreseeable future.
Skoda won’t force Australians to switch to electric cars.
The Czech brand’s global boss, Klaus Zellmer, says the brand is committed to selling petrol vehicles Down Under for as long as we want to buy them and the government allows them.
The move from Skoda swims against the tide as many other car brands and countries signal the death of petrol cars in the coming years.
Skoda will keep selling petrol cars as long as there is demand.
“There used to be a competition when you asked car manufacturers, they would say 2028 or 2027, but I don’t care, the consumer will decide or the legislation,” says Zellmer.
“Consumers will decide based on package, charging infrastructure, psychology, range anxiety and all the preferences they have and our responsibility as a carmaker is to cater to those preferences and that’s what we do at Skoda.”
“As long as they are in demand [we’ll be selling them],” he says.
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Zellmer says he doesn’t expect to be able to build an electric car that delivers the same bang for buck as current small cars.
“I cannot see in the foreseeable future the costs going down for us to make an offer that provides the safety, quality, design, performance, comfort and everything the consumers expect from a modern to be incorporated in something that now equals the price of a Fabia,” says Zellmer.
Zellmer admitted the brand had some homework to do on pricing in Australia.
He also intimated that Australia would get some relief from recent price rises and says the brand has “homework to do” on that front. The entry point to the Kamiq small SUV has jumped about 30 per cent in the past few years.
Zellmer also hinted that the brand needs cheaper versions of its small Fabia small car in Australia as the single fully-loaded Monte Carlo model on sale is priced close to $40,000 drive-away.
Skoda is still working on electric cars and the Enyaq will arrive soon.
Skoda’s plan to keep petrol cars on sale doesn’t mean they won’t have electric cars in their line-up.
The Skoda Enyaq electric mid-size SUV is launching soon in Australia and the brand has six new EVs due to enter production by 2026 but hasn’t confirmed if they will be sold Down Under.
Skoda confirmed it is building a small electric hatchback based on the VW ID.2 launching in Europe in 2025.
“It’s there, it’s coming, it’s in development,” says Zellmer.
Skoda will have a version of the VW ID.2 small electric hatchback.
It isn’t confirmed yet for Australia, but it could be part of future plans despite our love affair with SUVs.
“There are so many markets where we struggle with small cars, and our plan is not to exclude them. I think that car has a trunk of more than 400L,” he says.
“It’s a small car, but the functionality you get with that car is so big that despite its footprint and its price is around €25,000 ($42,000) at this point in time, I think this has to be our global bestseller.”
Keyword: Skoda commits to petrol cars for the future