Chief among the technical changes is the introduction of a new ‘Unified’ battery structure, developed in-house, which will be shared across most VW Group model lines in the name of scale-led cost savings.
Early details suggest 800V compatibility will give a 10-80% charging time of as little as 12 minutes on average – compared with around 35 minutes for the current Enyaq – but specific capacities and ranges have yet to be confirmed.
VW Group CEO Oliver Blume has previously suggested that this new modular approach – under which a much higher percentage of components will be shared between cars and brands – means “most” SSP-based EVs can achieve cost parity with current combustion cars.
So it is reasonable to expect that the next Enyaq will come down in price to roughly match the five-seat Kodiaq. Another crucial upgrade for the SSP era will be the introduction of a new software stack, dubbed 2.0, which will bring – among other usability and functionality upgrades – the capacity for hands-free driving up to level four.
Q&A with Klaus Zellmer, Skoda CEO
Will the new Kodiaq be as popular as the last one?
“We’re hoping it will outsell the previous one, but the equation is different today compared to 2016: we’re adding battery-electric vehicles; we’re adding complexity; we’re adding subsidies; we’re adding tax advantages… So let’s see how that plays out, but with a plug-in hybrid version with an EV range of 100km [62 miles], you have a fair chance to capture an audience that potentially has range anxiety and isn’t fully buying into battery-electric vehicles because they [the drivers] go long distance.”
Is Skoda going after the premium players with its top-end cars?
“That is not our declared objective, but of course we grow with the market, and with our customers and their expectations when it comes to haptics, quality, function and intuitive design like the ‘smart dials’. At the end of the day, it’s value for money – and I think this equation for Skoda was always important: you get a lot of value for your money, which doesn’t mean you’re always the cheapest.”