An unexpected carmaker is poised to achieve a historic first in Australia and it may happen as soon as next year.
In a first for a legacy – or long-established – carmaker of volume, Skoda is set to have its best seller switch from an internal combustion engine (ICE) model to an electric vehicle (EV).
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Speaking to the Australian press at a snow/ice-driving event near Queenstown in New Zealand, Skoda Australia Brand Director, Lucie Kuhn, revealed that the Enyaq mid-sized SUV is closing in fast on the venerable Kodiaq seven-seater large SUV for the firm's number one slot.
“The Kodiaq still remains our best-selling (vehicle),” she said.
“But I’m quite sure Enyaq will join it on stage in this electric era, and we will most likely have two heroes… (Skoda is currently) selling 700 units together year-to-date.”
Pitch-perfect timing
Pitch-perfect timing has played a big role in the rise of the European EV, not just in Australia, but also in many other parts of the world, with Skoda essentially relaunching the Enyaq at facelift time to appeal to a wider audience than before.
For Australia, that happened when the extensively upgraded Series II models arrived near the end of last year, brandishing a broader model range as well as a long list of improvements.
Among these has been the addition of a more conventional SUV Wagon shape to the earlier, higher-spec-only SUV Coupe series.
Along with providing a more practical and some say prettier alternative, that also included the arrival of a new entry-level grade with a smaller battery known as the 60 Select, which started from around $55,000 drive-away.
Aided by the closely related Elroq EV, which is essentially an Enyaq but with a shorter rear overhang for a more-compact SUV-style appearance, the order influx that Skoda has experienced since the beginning of the Middle Eastern war in March caught it short on stock.
It could have happened even sooner
In fact, that record could have been broken this year had production supply kept up with demand for the company’s EVs.
“(Our sales in Australia) would have been more if we had a better supply of EVs during the little surprises dating from March to June, let’s say,” Kuhn revealed.
“It would definitely have been better than last year overall and better than (today’s) numbers.”
Kuhn added that, in the second quarter of this year when oil prices spiked to record-highs, the order banks for its two EVs ran as high as 80 per cent, though that has since settled to around 45 per cent.
However, the continuing geo-political uncertainty means that demand for electric Skodas may skyrocket soon.
“I think every brand that has a mixed portfolio (of ICE and EVs) faced this customer behaviour changes,” Kuhn explained.
“The same of course, applies for us, particularly during the period of March to June, let's say, when our EV share boomed up to 80 percent almost, which, of course, caused empty stocks and longer waiting times for fresh production (of EVs).
“Now it's stabilising across the industry, and it's stabilising also for Skoda.
“So currently we are around 40 to 45 per cent.”
More to come
Skoda will double the number of EVs it sells in Australia from next year.
Already confirmed is the Epiq, which will be its cheapest ever EV in this country (and likely a brand best-seller contender), as well as the Peaq seven-seater SUV, earmarked by 2028.
