New Skoda Superb plug-in hybrid to arrive in 2019 ~ station of gear

John McIlroy 2018-02-28 07:00

Skoda Superb PHEV to combine 154bhp 1.4 petrol engine with 114bhp electric motor and have over 40 miles of pure electric range

The Skoda Superb PHEV will be front-wheel drive and capable of more than 40 miles of pure-electric running when it arrives on the market next year, Auto Express has learned.

Initial technical details released by senior Skoda management show that the car - the Czech manufacturer’s first plug-in vehicle - will mix a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 154bhp with an 85kW (114bhp) electric motor integrated into the car’s DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The total combined system output of the two motors will be 215bhp, so the motors have figures identical to those of the existing VW Passat GTE.

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However, Skoda says the Superb PHEV will be able to travel around 70km (44 miles) on electric power alone, thanks to a 13kWh battery that’s larger than the unit found on the VW. The firm’s head of powertrain, Martin Hrdlicka, believes the electrified Superb should deliver an official CO2 emissions figure of around 31g/km - 9g/km less than the Passat.

Hrdlicka admitted that there were “no technical reasons” why the Superb’s powertrain could not be swapped across to the Kodiaq SUV or scaled down to fit into the Octavia and Karoq. But he said the company would have to study customer demand before committing to such a move. “It’s not a question of the technology,” he said, “but we have to see what our customers are expecting from such a product and how much they’re willing to pay for it - because the plug-in hybrid systems don’t come for free. So first we have to see how the Superb goes and the reaction of our customers.”

The Superb hybrid could conceivably just carry PHEV badging - although Skoda has applied to trademark a number of potential powertrain ‘sub-brands’. Alongside G-Tec - which the firm uses to designate an engine adapted to use compressed natural gas (CNG) - it has made applications to trademark H-Tec and F-Tec.

Hrdlicka also revealed that Skoda will have its own battery production facility in Czech Republic by the time it enters the pure-electric market early in the next decade. The firm’s pure EV - which will be based, like the VW I.D. hatchback, on the VW Group’s forthcoming MEB platform - is expected to be some form of SUV, but Skoda has yet to release any details beyond confirming an expected production date of 2020.

Would you buy a Skoda Superb PHEV? Let us know below...

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