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New generations of the Skoda Superb large car and Kodiaq seven-seat SUV are due this year – alongside updated Kamiq and Scala compact cars – ahead of Australian arrivals next year.
The next-generation Skoda Kodiaq seven-seat SUV and Superb large car are due for unveiling before the end of this year, Skoda head office in Europe has confirmed in a bulletin detailing its global 2022 sales results.
The new models – the largest in Skoda’s range – are scheduled to be joined by updated versions of the Kamiq small SUV and Scala small car, which turn four and five years old in 2023 respectively.
Australian arrival timing is yet to be locked in, however local launches in 2024 appear most likely for all four cars.
The new Superb and Kodiaq are all but confirmed to retain petrol and diesel power – and are slated to be evolutions of their predecessors, rather than ground-up new models.
The next range of Skoda cars are likely to be the last generations before the switch to electric power. By the time their successors are due – close to 2030 – Skoda will by then likely be focused on electric vehicles.
The new Superb is expected to retain a choice of liftback and wagon bodies – and is expected to be twinned with the next Volkswagen Passat, which is slated to go wagon only globally.
Production of both cars is set to move to Skoda’s factory in Slovakia – allowing it to create space to build more SUVs at its home factory in the Czech Republic.
Spy photos show the new Superb’s styling will be an evolution of its predecessor, but with more modern elements drawn from newer Skoda models.
Inside, the new Passat and Superb are expected to share a large, circa-15-inch touchscreen – possibly the unit in Volkswagen’s new ID.7 electric car, with illuminated slider controls and new software to respond to criticism of the system in today’s VW Golf small car, and Skoda’s Enyaq electric SUV, among other models.
Engines are expected to comprise a range of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid options borrowed from the latest Volkswagen Group models – but a high-performance RS version looks unlikely, given Skoda’s move towards electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, very little is known about the next Skoda Kodiaq seven-seater – and prototypes are yet to be spied testing on European roads wearing production bodywork.
However, if the current Superb and Kodiaq are a guide, the next iteration of the seven-seat SUV is likely to inherit technology, interior designs and engines from the Superb – likely including plug-in hybrid power for the first time, to lower emissions.
Also due in 2023 are the facelifted Kamiq and Scala siblings, which are expected to usher in revised exterior designs and improved cabin technology to keep them fresh among newer competitors.
Skoda has previously confirmed the larger Octavia is due for a facelift in 2024, with similar visual tweaks – and likely changes to its infotainment system, if the related Volkswagen Golf is any guide.
By 2026, Skoda plans to introduce three new electric vehicles – which reports indicate may comprise a city car to succeed to today’s Fabia, a small SUV that has been speculated to wear the Elroq name, and a flagship seven-seat SUV based on the Vision 7S concept.
In Australia, Skoda’s next major model launch is slated to be the Enyaq iV electric SUV – in regular ‘wagon’ and Coupe forms – which open for orders in the second half of this year, ahead of first deliveries due in early 2024.
Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.
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