Skoda has confirmed
that it will launch a punchy vRS variant of its future electric SUV. Speaking
to Autocar, company sales and marketing chief Alain Favey said that the vehicle
won’t necessarily be all about performance.
This variant will
probably hit the market in 2022, three years after the production version of
the Vision E concept hits the market. This vehicle is tipped to launch in 2019
and will be Skoda’s very first all-electric model.
In concept guise,
the vehicle has two electric motors delivering a combined 301 hp and offering
310 km of range on a single charge. The Skoda EV will be about more
than figures, however. According to Favey, it will be fun to drive and
extremely affordable. If Skoda’s designers get their way, it will also look
extremely appealing.
The concept
unveiled at last year’s Shanghai Motor Show turned heads for all the right
reasons. The front, for example, includes triangular-shaped headlights which
are connected by a solid LED light passing just below the hood line.
Obviously, the vRS
performance version will come at a premium over the standard model. However, if
Skoda does manage to achieve pricing similar to the Tesla Model 3, it shouldn’t
be too much more expensive than more traditional ICE alternatives.
