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2019 Skoda Kodiaq GT coupe-SUV almost ready

Look out China, this tapered-roof crossover is coming your way soon. Australians, don't hold your collective breath.


The images you see here are spy shots of the Skoda Kodiaq GT 'coupe-SUV' ready to rock, ahead of an imminent premiere in China.

It's an indication that the practicality-minded Czech brand is continuing to move down a more stylised path, with the sloped/tapering roofline lending a much racier silhouette.

You might even think of it as the production car inspired by its Vision E concept from the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show. Oh, and recognise that camo? The sneaky Skoda team has clearly taken inspiration from the last-generation Mazda CX-5...

Coupe-style crossovers are all the rage. The market matured thanks to the BMW X4/X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLC/GLE Coupes, but cheaper offerings such as the Mazda CX-4 and Renault Arkana are now out and about too.

Here's the rub: like the Mazda CX-4, it's expected that the Kodiaq GT will be a China-only product.

CarNewsChina reports that it'll be made by the SAIC-Volkswagen joint venture, catering to ravenous domestic demand for this type of crossover.

It'll use the VW Group's 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and a DSG, with front-wheel and all-wheel drive options likely. Unlike the three-row Kodiaq, the GT version will be a five-seater only.

China is now Skoda's biggest market by far. It accounted for more than a quarter of the 1.2 million global sales total it managed in 2017, miles ahead of second-placed Germany.

Whether there'll be a European version more suited to mature markets remains to be seen, though with the Czech brand's manufacturing plants already bursting at the seems, it would require some restructuring or steep capital investment.

Instead, people who want a more desirable Kodiaq outside China will need to get the 176kW/500Nm twin-turbo-diesel Kodiaq RS, premiering this October in Paris.

Only that won't be coming to Australia either. Boo, and indeed hoo. It's too hot here, Skoda says, though last we checked, Spain (where it will definitely be sold) gets hot too...

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