Skoda Octavia to live on as an EV? Plan confirmed for 2027 electric estate
The upcoming Skoda electric estate will be previewed by a concept car in September
Skoda will reveal a concept car in September that hints at the Octavia-sized electric vehicle it is currently developing.
An outline of a family estate-sized car was shown in 2023 as part of Skoda’s plans for four new electric cars, but this model has been pushed back into at least late 2027 because the firm wants to build it on a new electric-vehicle platform. Known as Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), the new architecture will also underpin Volkswagen's future electric Golf-sized car, and Skoda boss Klaus Zellmer said the step-up in abilities will make the new tech worth waiting for.
“The new platform will give more performance and be more cost-efficient, and will be the platform we are going to put the Octavia on as a battery electric vehicle” he said, although he refused to confirm if the nameplate of Skoda’s biggest-selling model would be carried over to the EV.
However, Zellmer did confirm that Skoda won’t get a version of Volkswagen’s new sub-£20,000 electric small car, instead extending the life of the Fabia, Scala and Kamiq models through to the end of the decade. Skoda will introduce a sub-£20,000 mild-hybrid version of the Fabia aimed at consumers still looking for low-cost petrol cars, while sister brand VW will appeal to those looking for an electric small car.
“We have decided not to be part of that segment, we will leave it to our colleagues in the VW Group,” he said. “Volkswagen will have a 20,000-Euro BEV, Skoda will have very efficient engines in Fabia, Scala and Kamiq. We have the freedom of choice, we leave it up to consumers to choose what fits their personal preference best.”
Skoda's future EV plans
Two new Skoda electric cars that will be revealed next year are the Epiq, a small £22,000 hatchback sister car to the forthcoming Volkswagen ID.2 and Cupra Raval, and a seven-seat electric sibling to the Kodiaq currently known by the codename 7S and likely to use the same MEB electric platform as Skoda’s existing Enyaq and Elroq models. Both new EVs will be shown in 2026 and arrive in the UK the following year, with the Epiq likely to appear a few months ahead of Skoda’s new electric flagship.
Zellmer was speaking around Skoda’s annual results, which saw a record financial year for the brand, including an operating profit of 2.3bn Euros (£1.93bn), although he was keen to emphasise that ICE cars still have a significantly higher profit margin than EVs. At the same time, the brand moved into the top four in the European sales chart, up from seventh in 2023 and 10th in 2022.
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