Skoda will debut first EV at Geneva show

Skoda will unveil a full-electric crossover coupe concept at the Geneva auto show that hints at the brand's first battery-powered model based on the parent Volkswagen Group's MEB electric platform.

The compact Skoda Vision iV concept updates the brand's Vision E crossover first shown in Shanghai in 2017 as it prepares to launch a production model in 2020.

Skoda released sketches of the concept ahead of its Geneva debut on March 5. It is styled to look as striking as possible with a flowing roofline, hidden door handles and cameras in place of traditional door mirrors. It also uses 22-inch wheels, much larger than Skoda uses on its production cars. The grille is an interpretation of Skoda’s traditional grille with the upright ribs, but with a line intersecting the top quarter.

Skoda has previously said its electric cars need to appeal to customers on more than just price alone because of the extra cost of the battery.

“We believe electric vehicles in future will necessarily be more expensive, so it’s a matter of getting the cars so attractive with a content that's so compelling that people will be ready to pay more,” Alain Favey, Skoda's head of sales and marketing, told journalists last year.

Skoda this year will launch its first electrified cars – a plug-in hybrid version of the Superb midsize and an electric version of the Citigo minicar. The brand has said it will launch 10 electrified cars by 2022. Skoda will spend 2 billion euros over the next four years developing electrified drivetrains and mobility services, it said.

No details were given on the Geneva concept's range or battery size. Skoda said in 2017 that the Vision E crossover had a range of up to 500km (300 miles), as well as twin electric motors to give it all-wheel drive and a power output of 301hp.

VW Group's premium brand, Audi, will also show a compact SUV concept based on MEB at the Geneva show.

Skoda has said it will build its MEB electric car in its plant in Mlada Boleslav in the Czech Republic.

The MEB platform will underpin the VW I.D. Neo hatchback, which goes into production later this year for a 2020 sales launch. The I.D. Neo, Audi's compact electric SUV and a compact EV for the Seat brand will be built at VW's factory in Zwickau in Germany, where VW is investing 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) to produce as many as 330,000 EVs a year.