Škoda's fully-electric SUV Enyaq iV to hit Czech market next month

Škoda Auto's Enyaq iV, an electric SUV and the Czech carmaker's second fully-electric vehicle, will hit the Czech market on May 13, Škoda CEO Thomas Schäfer has revealed to Lidovky.cz.

Advance interest in the vehicle has been unexpectedly large, according to Schäfer, with presales throughout Europe in the range of 20,000.

"The interest in this car is far greater than we expected, we are really excited," Schäfer tells Lidovky.cz.

In Germany, where the Enyaq iV launched this week, 5,000 vehicles were immediately sold, he says.

"Without a test drive, practically without the customer ever seeing the car with their own eyes."

On the Czech market, Škoda plans to supply about 2,000 Enyaq iV vehicles by the end of the year. The SUV retails for 1,072,900 crowns in the Czech Republic, and €33,800 in Germany.

Rollout on other European markets, including the United Kingdom, will follow.

The Enyaq iV was revealed to the public last September and originally scheduled to debut months earlier, but its release was pushed back due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on production in the Czech Republic.

Škoda's first electric vehicle, a version of its popular Citigo model, was first launched in 2018 but is no longer being produced. The company plans to replace it with another fully-electric alternative over the coming years.

"The development and further modernization of the Citigo model would not make economic sense," Schäfer told Lidovky.cz.

"We are currently working on introducing another electric model smaller than the Enyaq iV by 2025.”

In addition to the fully-electric vehicles, Škoda also produces hybrid versions of its Octavia and Superb models.

Škoda's previous electrification strategy called for the company to introduce ten electric vehicles - six fully-electric cars and four hybrids - by the end of 2025. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic may have impacted those plans, however.