Similar to the rest of the Volkswagen Group, the folks at Skoda prepare to launch a massive number of electric vehicles in the coming years, beginning with the Elroq in 2024. The Enyaq and Enyaq Coupe will be refreshed in 2025, the year Skoda will further debut a replacement for the Citigo e iV city car.
2026 will see the automaker from Mlada Boleslav premiere two larger electric vehicles, including a three-row crossover à la Kia's rather expensive EV9. The other is currently known as the Combi, which is the Czech manufacturer's way of saying wagon. Previewed in May 2023, the Combi measures approximately 4.7 meters in overall length. That's the footprint of Skoda Octavia Combi, which continues to be immensely popular in the European Union despite a great demand for crossovers.
Masterfully rendered by pixel artist Bernhard Reichel, the Combi EV is alternatively known as Estate BEV in the United Kingdom. Based on the so-called Sculpture Range shown by Skoda in May 2023, the design study before your eyes is as close to the real thing as technically possible. For the time being, that is, because Skoda hasn't yet started testing this car on public roads.
It's easy to imagine the Combi EV carrying the Octavia Combi nameplate, although it won't replace the internal combustion-engined model. The C-segment Octavia line prepares for a mid-cycle refresh in 2024, five years after the fourth gen kicked off production in Mlada Boleslav.
As opposed to the MQB Evo platform of the Octavia Combi, the all-electric sibling is expected to feature an evolution of the MEB platform. The Volkswagen Group intends to roll out the SSP in 2026, a vehicle architecture that will someday replace the MEB and PPE platforms.
Many things can happen between now and 2026, but one thing is clear about Skoda's electric wagon. The Volkswagen ID.7 Variant is due in 2024, and said model will be closely related to the Combi EV.
Photo: Skoda
Unfortunately for prospective customers, there is no concrete information available yet on the ID.7 Variant and Combi EV. Be that as it may, an educated guess would be rear-wheel drive by default and two motors by choice. Volkswagen introduced the APP550 electric drive unit with the ID.7 sedan, which belts out a respectable 210 kilowatts (make that 286 ps or 282 hp).
Its name comes from the peak torque rating in the metric system, as in 550 Nm or 406 pound-feet. Scheduled to premiere at the IAA Mobility in Munich, the ID.7 GTX sporty version is expected to combine the rear-mounted APP550 with the front electric motor of the ID.4 GTX for approximately 390 ponies.
It's easy to imagine Skoda getting this powertrain as well, potentially marketing it as the RS (or vRS if you're British). The sportiest electric vehicle offered by the company as of September 2023 is the Enyaq Coupe RS, which belts out 220 kW (299 ps or 295 hp) and 460 Nm (339 pound-feet). By comparison, the Octavia Combi RS produces 180 kW (245 ps or 242 hp) and 370 Nm (273 pound-feet) from the 2.0 TSI.
Last but certainly not least, what kind of battery capacities are coming to the Combi EV in 2026? To answer that question, let's begin with the MEB-based Enyaq. The compact-sized electric crossover can be had with an 82-kWh pack featuring a usable capacity of 77 kilowatt hours.
As for the sedan-bodied Volkswagen ID.7, the rear-wheel-drive Pro S grade promises 91 kWh and 86 kWh, respectively, for a WLTP estimate of 700 kilometers (435 miles) in the combined test cycle. Even with 650 kilometers (404 miles), the Skoda Combi EV would be a tempting alternative to the increasing number of electric crossovers hitting European showrooms.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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