Europe could open the door to cheaper urban electric cars, but Skoda and SEAT stand firm
Skoda recently presented a version very close to production of its upcoming urban electric car, the Epiq, but there is still room in the market to launch an even smaller model based on the future ID.1. Will it finally do it?
Last week, the IAA Mobility in Munich was in the spotlight, and among all the new features presented, the Volkswagen Group took a good share of the headlines. The new generation of urban electric vehicles is finally about to become a reality.
Volkswagen ID. Polo, ID. Cross, CUPRA Raval, and Skoda Epiq will soon enter the B segment with their 100% electric proposals, starting around 25,000 euros. But in the equation, as you know, there is still one model missing.
Below, directly in the A segment, there will be a Volkswagen model based on the ID. Every1 that is expected to be called ID. Up, also based on the MEB Entry platform. This prototype would pave the way for SEAT and Skoda to revive the successful Mii and Citigo, but both brands are not so convinced.
Skoda will rely on its small gasoline models
A few months ago, an international media outlet reported that Skoda did not want to have its own version of the ID.1, a model that should start around 20,000 euros and that does not guarantee very good profitability as of today.
Now, in the midst of the IAA in Munich, it was Skoda's CEO, Klaus Zellmer, who officially confirmed the Czech brand's “no” to a potential return of the electric Citigo. “We believe that with the Fabia, Kamiq, and Scala, and the price we can achieve in the market, we are in a solid position. We prefer to look at the other end,” he stated to the British media Autocar.
By the other end, he clearly refers to the seven-seater SUV we talked about a few days ago. Skoda is working on bringing the Vision 7S to life, which was presented in 2022 in prototype format, and will top the Skoda range starting next year.
Thus, the newly presented Epiq will be the smallest electric car in the Skoda range, just as the Raval will be in the SEAT-CUPRA home, which has also ruled out the return of the Mii.
“Volkswagen has always been the brand that covers everything. Decisions have to be made, and we must ask ourselves whether we want an electric vehicle in that segment or if we believe that Fabia, Kamiq, and Scala provide us with more in terms of profits and recovery of our investment?” Zellmer concluded.
Skoda's sales chief, Martin Jahn, also left another interesting headline, stating that both Fabia and Kamiq will adopt hybrid technology in the very near future.
The meeting that could change everything
The European Union is meeting with manufacturers and automotive sector agents this week to define the future of the industry and, above all, decide whether 2035 remains the date for the ban on combustion vehicles, among other issues.
For example, the creation in Europe of a new regulatory category for small electric cars, the “E-Cars”, in the purest style of the “kei cars” sold in Japan. Brands have been asking for new regulations for some time to more easily adapt small vehicles with electric technology.
The approval of such a category would make its development more profitable for brands, precisely why Seat and Skoda are backing down with Mii and Citigo, so we could see how they might reconsider their decisions.
“Achieving positive margins on the ID.1 will be difficult,” VW executives said until recently. Everything can change in the blink of an eye.
Fuente: Autocar
