Skoda

Skoda is preparing to reveal its first electric SUV this year, based on the same ‘MEB’ battery-friendly architecture as the ID.3 and ID.4 from parent company Volkswagen. Today, while not revealing the actual car itself, the company did tell us what it’ll be called: the Skoda Enyaq, a portmanteau of Irish name Enya (one example being the Celtic pop singer) and the letter Q with which the company’s other SUV end their names – think Kamiq, Karoq, and Kodiaq.

Skoda will swap the 1.5-litre engine in the base Karoq for a less efficient 1.4-litre unit in 2020 – and it says Australia's emissions regulations are to blame. The only Karoq on offer in Australia is currently the 110TSI, which is powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine making 110kW and 250Nm. It's mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Skoda has finally ended the tease and unveiled what the Australian market will welcome as the 2021 Octavia, with its local debut set for the first quarter of that year. The new Octavia has grown significantly beyond the dimensions of its predecessor: the liftback is 19mm longer than before and the wagon has been stretched by 22mm, while both models are 15mm wider than those they replace. The wheelbase of the previous model (2686mm) carries over.

Chinese buyers increasingly want crossovers and they increasingly want Skodas. The Czech brand, therefore, is giving them more of both. Like the Kodiaq GT revealed last year, the Kamiq GT is a coupe crossover version of an existing Skoda and won't be sold here.