Articles by Jack Quick

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After years of ruling out plug-in hybrid (PHEV) technology locally, Skoda Australia is gearing up to potentially roll out two PHEV models as early as the end of this year. The Czech carmaker is currently testing its new Superb PHEV locally ahead of a potential launch either in late 2025 or early 2026. Speaking to CarsGuide, Skoda Australia head of marketing and product Kieran Merrigan said local testing for this model has been underway for a month. “The Superb everyone’s asking about, the plug-in hybrid that’s available in Europe, is under evaluation ,” said Merrigan. “Maybe two things to note with that is, first thing we actually have a car here doing some local testing. “We’re about a month into that, and some really, really positive results so far. There’s probably a couple months to go. “Just to highlight … it is important for us to do local testing on our cars. “The second part is we need to evaluate and get the pricing nailed for the current market. “So those two things are happening in parallel, but we do hope to have Superb PHEV offered in market toward the end of this year or early next year," he said. In addition to the Skoda Superb PHEV, the brand is also currently evaluating the new Kodiaq PHEV as another model to launch locally. Both of these models are equipped with the Volkswagen Group’s second-generation plug-in hybrid system for vehicles built on the MQB platform. They have a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that’s capable of producing 110kW of power, as well as an 85kW electric motor integrated into the six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that’s fed by a 25.7kWh battery pack. Claimed range for both the Superb and Kodiaq PHEVs is over 100km. The reason why these PHEVs did launch at the same time as the turbo-petrol range is apparently down to lack of testing, according to Merrigan. “We did some overseas testing, and it’s just that our climate is different to some of the European markets,” he said. “So there was some testing done in South America or Central America, which … was the first tick, and then that gave us the ability to actually fly some cars out from … a European market and test locally.” Beyond PHEVs, Skoda has confirmed it’s currently evaluating mild-hybrid (MHEV) powertrains for a number of models and could launch them locally as soon as 2026. It’s these new powertrain technologies, along with a refreshed vehicle line-up that Skoda expects will help uplift its slump in local sales. In the first five months of 2025 a total of 1784 Skoda examples were sold in Australia, which is down 22.0 per cent year-on-year. The current best-seller is the Skoda Kodiaq (572 sales), which was recently launched in new-generation guise, followed by the Kamiq (311 sales) and Octavia (291 sales). The latter recently launched in mid-life updated guise.

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Skoda Australia has detailed the pricing and specifications for its new-generation Superb liftback and wagon ahead of first deliveries starting imminently. This new Superb continues to now only be offered in a single range-topping Sportline trim level in either liftback or wagon body styles. Pricing starts at $67,990 before on-roads for the liftback and extends to $69,690 before on-roads for the wagon. A full pricing table is at the bottom of this story. This is a $2400 price rise for the liftback, but Skoda has included a lot more equipment that was previously locked away in option packages as standard. Power in the new Skoda Superb comes from a new version of the Volkswagen Group’s venerable EA888 turbo-petrol engine. It also features in the new Skoda Octavia RS, as well as the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Tiguan R-Line. This 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine produces 195kW of power and 400Nm of torque. This is technically 9kW less than the previous-generation version, but 50Nm more. This is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission which has one more ratio than the outgoing Superb. Power is still sent to the ground through an all-wheel drive system. Skoda claims the new Superb can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 5.6 seconds in sedan guise and 5.7 seconds in wagon guise. This is 0.3 seconds faster than the old version. While it’s faster, the new Superb is also claimed to be more fuel efficient. In sedan guise claimed fuel consumption is 7.7L/100km, while wagon guise is 7.8L/100km. On the dynamics front, the Superb picks up Dynamic Chassis Control Plus which is essentially Skoda-speak for adaptive dampers. It’s an updated version which features two independently controlled valves, and allows for 15 stages of configurability. There’s now also progressive steering. Outside there are slimmer Matrix LED headlights, new 19-inch Torcular alloy wheels, gloss black exterior highlights, dynamic indicators, and a hands-free power tailgate. Inside there are new sport seats with integrated head rests that are also electrically adjustable, heated, ventilated, and have a massage function. Other interior highlights include a heated steering wheel, 10-inch digital instrument cluster, 13-inch touchscreen multimedia system, 12-speaker Canton premium sound system, wireless charging with ventilation roll-up rear sunshades, and heated outboard rear seats. As expected with a Skoda there are a range of ‘Simply Clever’ features. These include configurable Smart Dials, a display cleaner, electrically retractable luggage compartment cover, fold-down outboard rear seat head restraints, and a fold-down rear centre armrest with integrated cupholders and a tablet holder, among countless others. On the safety front, the Superb gains an upgraded autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system, blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, lane centring, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, driver fatigue detection, surround-view camera, front and rear parking sensors, and semi-autonomous park assist. The new Skoda Superb is available in a total of seven exterior paint colours – Carmine Red, Graphite Grey, Pure White, Desert Green, Pebble Silver, Cobalt Blue and Midnight Black. All paint colours are no-cost options, with only Carmine Red costing an extra $770. The Skoda Superb is now the last mainstream large passenger car offered locally before looking at premium options. Historic rivals like the Holden Commodore, Chrysler 300, Kia Stinger, and even the related Volkswagen Passat have all been axed locally.

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