KVASINY, Czech Republic -- Skoda expects annual sales of 15,000 units for the Superb plug-in hybrid.
Key markets for the midsize model will be Germany,the UK, Sweden and the Czech Republic
Skoda has just started production of the Superb plug-in variant at its factory in Kvasiny, Czech Republic.
The 15,000 figure represents 20 percent of total Superb production, the head of assembly at Kvasiny, Jiri Pacak, said at the production launch of the car.
The production start is a milestone as important to the company as its founding or its purchase by the Volkswagen Group, Marek Jancak, Skoda's head of global production, told journalists at the event.
Skoda is embarking on an ambitious program of electrification that will see it introduce 10 electrified vehicles by 2022, including the introduction this year of the electric version of the Citigo minicar and the start of production next year of an SUV based on the VW Group's electric MEB platform.
The SUV was previewed by the Vision IV concept shown earlier this year.
The Superb plug-in uses a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine mated to an electric motor to give a combined power output of 218 hp.
The 13 kilowatt-hour battery is big enough to give a range of 55 km (34 miles) as measured on Europe's WLTP cycle. The hybrid drivetrain reduces emissions to below 40 g/km, Skoda has said. The automaker has yet to release exact official figures.
The battery pack is produced in Skoda's Mlada Boleslav plant and is identical to the battery in the VW Passat plug-in hybrid.
The Superb plug-in is available in hatchback and station wagon derivatives and is priced from 876,900 koruna (33,862 euros) in its Czech home market. No euro price has been given yet, but Skoda says the price in Germany will average out at 41,000 euros.
A six-speed DSG automatic gearbox is standard, as is a year's subscription to the Skoda Connect app, which allows remote heating and cooling of the car.
