Škoda is undoubtedly one of the great success stories after the fall of the Iron Curtain. With the help of the new parent Volkswagen, the traditional car manufacturer flourished again to its former strength. 28,000 people work in the main plant in Mladá Boleslav, it is larger than the state of Monaco. Models like the Octavia or the all-electric Enyaq come off one assembly line.
Škoda sold an impressive 53,700 Enyaqs last year, and the compact SUV was the number one electric car in the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In order to boost sales even further, a new basic model can now be ordered which, as a pure rear-wheel drive vehicle with 148 hp and a 55 kWh battery, offers a range of around 350 kilometers. The price is 39,990 euros.
But the Enyaq iV 50 will not remain the basic electric model. Four new electric Škoda will come by 2026, all closely related to the VW ID models. First the 4.50 meter SUV Elroq will make its debut, then a basic car in 4.20 meter format for 25,000 euros, and in 2026 an electric station wagon and a large SUV will follow. While the Elroq is being built in the main plant, the ID-2 twin is to be produced in Spain, the factory location for the two large models is still open. Škoda has shown the shapes of the quartet with 1:1 plastic models.
Despite the electric offensive, they want to stick with combustion engines at least until 2035, and plug-in hybrids are in preparation for the big Škoda from the old days, the Superb and the Kodiaq. But Škoda not only announced new cars last week, they also gave themselves a new brand identity, the logo has been revised, is slimmer, only with a hint of Hatschek on the S. The new lettering will be on the cars from autumn. There is also a new steering wheel and other small design changes. And the 1,100 service and sales partners in Germany have to adjust to the new brand image, but that has until 2024. Ultimately, the clever Czechs have given themselves a pretty sound logo that will in future be used in every Škoda commercial on radio, television and in the network should decide.