VW ID.3 not your cup of tea? A Skoda Octavia electric car is being developed on a new platform: Report

A dedicated fully electric Skoda Octavia is on the way by 2030 according to reports from Europe, where sale of petrol cars could be banned in just over a decade.

Skoda’s CEO Klaus Zellmer told UK outlet Autocar the brand is developing the Octavia, historically its best-selling model globally, as part of a push to make at least 70 per cent of profits from EV sales by 2030.

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To make this happen, Skoda will introduce an electric seven-seat SUV, a city-focused EV, and a pair of small electric SUVs - one particularly compact to replace the Skoda Fabia - all by 2026.

In the meantime, the Octavia is expected to stay petrol-powered in at least some aspect, in an effort to appeal to the more traditional Skoda buyers.

“The Octavia is a fantastic car that we of course will have to keep in the family as long as we can as we have such a huge customer base,” Mr Zellmer told Autocar.

“It is really important for our brand to stay true to our values and to our heritage.”

Before the Octavia goes all-electric, expect to see the current petrol and electrified version updated within the next couple of years.

While the Volkswagen Group already has the MEB platform for its electric cars like the Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4, the report suggests the future electric Octavia will be built on the group’s upcoming SSP (Scalable Systems Platform) architecture, which VW hopes to make its single platform for its electric cars.

Once the Octavia is into the next generation and a dedicated EV, it should follow Skoda’s new ‘Modern Solid’ design language, which sees its cars take on a more rugged, off-road and SUV style. 

The Skoda Enyaq is already part of the brand's ongoing electrification plans

Autocar expects the Skoda Octavia EV to use an updated version of the Skoda 89kWh battery due in the middle of the decade, which should provide a driving range up to 600km, and a faster charge rate than any of the VW Group’s current EVs.

While it’s possible that Volkswagen will ditch its current ‘car of the people’ Golf in favour of the similarly-sized ID.3 in the near future, Mr Zellmer says Octavia means too much to the Skoda brand to be left behind.

“The Octavia is rock solid,” he told Autocar. “It has got its customer base and we are market leaders for the [estate] segment. Never change a winning team.

“I think that car is Skoda [through and through], but when you look at the future position [of the brand] and we talk about Modern Solid as attributes to our design language, yes, this will be more cars that are in the market to go off road, to accommodate more people, to have a bit more of a bold appearance, but we need to do both – [this and the Octavia]."