The Skoda Octavia is going electric

Auto Express

3 days ago

A pure-electric Skoda Octavia is shaping up for a 2027 debut, but the combustion-powered hatchback and estate will live on to cover broad customer tastes.
The Czech car maker will show a concept previewing the upcoming zero-emissions Octavia in Germany this autumn, as previously reported by Auto Express. And Klaus Zellmer, Skoda's CEO, promises the design takes a radical step forward. Advertisement - Article continues below
'I'm really looking forward to sharing our Octavia concept car: it will give a glimpse of our next-level design strategy. It's going to create a lot of buzz and controversial discussion,' the boss told Auto Express during a meeting at a London hotel.
'[The concept] is clearly recognisable as a Skoda, but it's a further step of our 'Modern Solid' design language that we've established with the Skoda Elroq.'
The concept will have a sleek estate bodystyle and further develop the building blocks of modern Skoda design. Those include the gloss black 'Tech Deck' grille that houses sensors for driver-assistance systems, and muscular body surfaces gouged by a 'tornado line' that carves its way around the entire body.
The Munich show car will give a taste of the technologies and proportions of Volkswagen Group's all-new Scalable Systems Platform (SSP). This is designed to replace the MEB architecture beneath electric cars such as the Volkswagen ID.3 and Cupra Tavascan, and the premium PPE electric platform that underpins the Audi A6 e-tron and zero-emissions Porsche Macan Electric.
Skoda introduced the current, fourth-generation Octavia in 2020 and expected it to be the last combustion version of its best-selling car. However, underperforming EV demand has put plans for an electric-only model on ice. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below
'The [next] Octavia [was] originally planned for MEB,' explained Zellmer. But the electric hatchback and estate has been pushed back so that it can use SSP and unlock superior capabilities. 'We pushed that onto the next platform simply because we're convinced we will need autonomous drive possibilities, long range, fast charge and so on, which will come with the next generation.'
SSP's proportions will also help the design: MEB estate cars – such as the Volkswagen ID.7 – struggle to hide their higher roofline caused by stowing bulky batteries in the floor. The next-gen platform will likely offer cell-to-body construction, where the pack forms part of the structure rather than being laid in a metal frame. 'MEB is challenging when it comes to the height of sedan cars and that's something we're going to work on with the Octavia,' promised the CEO.
The new platform is intended to scale components from the entry-level ID.1 all the way to luxurious Bentleys and Lamborghinis, with the future electric Volkswagen Golf one of the marque's models riding on it.
Zellmer hinted that the Octavia will be one of the first electric Skodas to use an existing name. 'If I can send a wish to the universe, we should [use] Octavia. It's so strong as a brand.' Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below
Until now, the electric Enyaq, Elroq and the forthcoming Epiq baby e-SUV have worn an E-to-q namebadge. 'I think our naming strategy helped a lot internally and externally, but this is also something that you can't run forever,' said the CEO.
Skoda has plans in place to extend the life of key combustion models beyond 2030, with the European Union currently due to outlaw the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2035. The Octavia, Skoda's best-selling model, is surely top of the list. More than 215,000 were delivered to customers in 2024, ranking it second in its European market segment.
'There's enough volume in the market for us to potentially run the two [Octavias] in parallel,' stated the boss, despite the additional cost and complexity. 'It all depends on what customer sentiment is, especially in the fleet market. [These cars need to offer] lots of miles, lots of space, durability, quality, long range and so on. So we have to see how that pans out and keep the avenues open, while at the same time looking into what a battery electric successor to the Octavia looks like.'
VW's Czech outpost now has responsibility for engineering development of the MQB components set, the transverse-engine, front-wheel drive architecture that stretches from Fabia to Superb – with the 4.7m-long Octavia in between. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below
It's not the only major undertaking outsourced to Skoda: its engineers are also responsible for three and four-cylinder petrol engines, and getting them through the tighter Euro 7 emissions standards.
That puts the company in prime position to ensure the Octavia – and other key cars such as VW's Golf and the Audi A3 – can be redesigned and updated to soldier on alongside new electric versions. 'We've kept the avenues open to prolong life cycles of cars, if we see the need for that. I think this is really important.'
Skoda will also U-turn on its decision to drop the plug-in hybrid Octavia. The big Superb and Kodiaq both offer PHEVs with more than 62 miles of pure-electric range, and UK company drivers pay reduced Benefit-in-Kind tax on big-battery PHEVs, thanks to CO2 emissions as low as 10g/km. 'From my point of view, we have to bring back the Octavia with a plug-in hybrid,' Zellmer asserted. 'For Europe, plug-in hybrid is the way to go, until we move fully into battery electric vehicles.'
He also confirmed that Czech production lines for the Fabia supermini – due a facelift this year – Scala hatch and Kamiq small SUV will keep rolling too.
'Obviously you can't just have the lifecycle extended and think nobody will realise the age,' said Zellmer, addressing the need to keep refreshing the look and technology of the Fabia, Scala and Kamiq. 'This is what we'll do and then we can still decide, in the 2030s, what is going to happen [with phasing them out for EVs]. Running everything in parallel is not cost efficient.'
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