Skoda Enyaq: new electric SUV gets a name ~ station of gear

Steve Walker 2020-02-12 09:00

Skoda has announced the name of its first electric car based on VW’s MEB platform, and it’s Enyaq

The new Skoda electric SUV is to be known as the Skoda Enyaq. The car will be Skoda’s second all-electric model after the Citigo-e iV and its first based on the new MEB electric car architecture that’s been developed by Volkswagen and is already underpinning the VW ID. 3 electric hatchback.

We’ve already been given a taste of the Enyaq by the Skoda Vision iV concept shown at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. That car had a coupe-like curving roofline and achieved all-wheel drive through a system of two electric motors, one on the front axle and one at the rear. There’s no word on the design or precise technical make-up of the Enyaq at this stage though.

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The manufacturer has revealed the name in the form of an image showing the ‘Enyaq’ lettering in the same font and design as will appear on the rear of the car itself.

The name Enyaq might sound like someone clearing their throat but Skoda tells us that it’s derived from the Irish name Enya, which in turn has its origins in the Galic word ‘eithne’, meaning ‘essence, spirit or principle’.

The Enyaq establishes a new naming convention within the Skoda range where electric models will take names starting with ‘E’. In addition to this, the new car name also ties-in with Skoda’s existing SUV model line of Kamiq, Karoq and Kodiaq by ending with a ‘Q’.

As the first Skoda model to be based on the MEB platform, the Skoda Enyaq will be a landmark car for the brand. It’s the next step in Skoda’s master plan to offer 10 electric models under the iV sub brand by the end of 2022 but it also uses tech that we’ll see in wide use across the VW Group in the coming years.

Skoda estimates that electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles will constitute 25 per cent of its sales by 2025 and hopes will be high for the Enyaq to realise a significant chunk of that total by slotting into the ever-popular SUV class. To that end, it says it will have invested 2 billion euros in electric car development and connected systems by the time 2025 comes around.

Tell us what you think of the name Enyaq in the comments below…

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