Power Up: Next-gen Skoda Kodiaq (2023 debut) gets Plug-in Hybrid [Update]

Update: ‘Interior & Features’ section updated.

With an aim to cut fleet emissions by more than 50% by 2030 compared to 2020, Skoda is renewing efforts to electrify its carlines. The company has launched the Enyaq iV and Enyaq Coupe iV, and will launch three more EVs by 2026. Although the next-gen Skoda Kodiaq won’t be fully electric, it will feature new hybrid options starting next year.

Design

Skoda has taken an evolutionary path in redesigning models, so we expect nothing radically new in the second-generation Kodiaq. The body looks similar to the shape of the current SUV, and the roofline will continue to maintain its elevation up till the tailgate to offer ample space for third-row passengers and luggage. Teasers of the prototype that Skoda has revealed (pictured below) has revealed many of the details.

At the front, the next-gen Kodiaq has an edgier version of the signature double-headlights that create a striking four-eyed face. Skoda has confirmed the new headlights will feature second-generation full LED Matrix technology. Another confirmed enhancement in the new headlights will be Crystallinium, a colored crystalline element that reminds onlookers of colored crystal glass and accentuates its contours. The radiator grille will look more upright grille, and the signature bonnet dip will be present.

On the sides, the next-gen Kodiaq will feature squared-off wheel arches and large wheels, starting off with 17-inch steelies and going up to 20-inch alloys. Needless to say, there’ll be many new wheel designs. At the rear, expect new tail lights to be the Kodiaq’s most recognizable element in its second generation. If you ask us, they look sleeker and seem to have angular C-shaped outer ends.

Interior & Features

Skoda says it has fully redesigned the interior of the Kodiaq for its second generation. The company has made the SUV more spacious.

The next-gen Kodiaq features a slightly sleeker, X-shaped dashboard with strong contours that communicate strength. The outer-end AC vents are in a new shape and look broader. While these changes reinforce the model’s SUV body style, the horizontal central air vents placed below the central display (instead of vertical units on its flanks) provide the new interior a more car-like elegance. If you ask us, the instrument cluster, a hoodless 10-inch display, helps the interior look much cleaner.

In configurations equipped with an automatic transmission, which is standard in the plug-in hybrid variant, the gear selector is on the steering column, not in the center console. This makes the gear selector more easily accessible and leaves more storage space in the center console, while also making it the interior feel cleaner.

The next-gen Kodiaq has a new feature called ‘Skoda Smart Dials,’ which are innovative rotary push-buttons with haptic and digital controls. Two outer dials allow the driver and front passenger to adjust the temperature, seat heating, and seat ventilation, and the center dial is for setting the fan speed, air direction, smart air conditioning, volume, driving modes, and map zoom. All three dials integrate a 32-mm color display, which look crisp.

The central display is a bigger, free-standing unit that measures 13 inches diagonally. Another Skoda-first feature in the redesigned Kodiaq is a head-up display, which reduces driver distraction. A new Phone Box allows charging two smartphones at up to 15 W and has an active cooling function. Also worth noting are Ergo seats with a pneumatic massage function and a fresh storage compartment for the rear-seat passengers, located in the center tunnel.

Specifications

Dimensions

The 2024 Skoda Kodiaq will measure 4,758 mm (187.3 in.) in length, 1,864 mm (73.4 in.) in width, and 1,657 mm (65.2 in.) in height. Thus, it will be 61 mm (2.4 in.) longer than the outgoing model. As for the wheelbase, that will be the same – 2,791 mm (109.9 in.).

As a result of the increased length, the redesigned model will offer 15 mm (0.6 in.) more headroom in the third row in the 7-seat version – 920 mm. Another advantage will be an increase of 75 liters (2.6 cu. ft.) of cargo space in the 5-seat version – 910 liters (32.1 cu. ft.). The plug-in hybrid variant will probably be exclusive to the 5-seat version.

Plug-in Hybrid system

The next-gen Skoda Kodiaq will be available in an optional ‘iV’ plug-in hybrid variant. The first-ever Skoda Kodiaq iV will use a 1.5-liter gas engine and an electric motor that produces a total power of 150 kW (201 hp). The low output indicates efficiency and electric range will be the sole focus of the plug-in hybrid system. A 6-speed DSG will transfer the power to the front wheels.

A 25.7 kWh battery pack will supply energy to the electric motor and deliver a WLTP range (targeted) of more than 100 km (62 miles). It will be chargeable with both AC and DC, at up to 11 kW with the former and up to 50 kW with the latter.

The extended electric driving range should allow customers to use their Kodiaq Plug-in Hybrid as an EV at all times in normal daily driving. The Kodiaq Plug-in Hybrid will be an excellent alternative to Mitsubishi’s all-new Outlander Plug-in Hybrid, which is to release to Europe in 2024.

Safety

The 2024 Skoda Kodiaq will feature up to nine airbags and a wide range of active safety systems, including enhanced Crew Protect Assist, Emergency Assist, and Travel Assist with Traffic Jam Assist. From 2024, a new Remote Park Assist will allow customers to maneuver the SUV into parking spaces using a smartphone app

Production

Skoda will manufacture the next-gen Kodiaq in Kvasiny, Czech Republic. The company already builds the outgoing Kodiaq there, and it has started work on adapting the production line to the redesigned model. It is investing approximately EUR 12 million to upgrade the production line to meet future requirements, and preparations for manufacturing the Kodiaq PHEV are already underway.

Pilot production of the next-gen Kodiaq SUV is underway, while series production will start in 2024. Skoda plans to make up to 410 units every day.

Release date

Skoda plans to unveil the next-gen Kodiaq in Fall 2023. At the 2023 Skoda Annual Press Conference, Martin Jahn, BoM member for Sales and Marketing, Skoda Auto, said that the company will start taking orders for the next-gen Skoda Kodiaq in H2 2023 and begin customer deliveries in 2024. We anticipate a more specific timeline for the delivery of the first units to be Q1 2024 (January-March 2024).

We will introduce both Superb and Kodiaq new generation in the second half of this year. There will be also a possibility to order them and we will start supplying them to our customers next year.

Martin Jahn, BoM member for Sales and Marketing, Skoda Auto, 2023 Skoda Auto Annual Press Conference on March 16, 2023

The next-gen Kodiaq will first go on sale in European countries like the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, etc. A few months later, it’ll begin arriving at showrooms in markets outside Europe. In Australia, the next-gen Kodiaq will arrive around Q2 2024 (April-June 2024), as per a report CarExpert released on June 15, 2023.

A Skoda Kodiaq Electric will arrive in time

During the Q&A session after the announcement of the Skoda Strategy 2030 held in 2021, a journalist asked the management about the launch of a Kodiaq EV. Thomas Schäfer, former CEO, Skoda Auto, responded that a Skoda Kodiaq EV or an all-electric model equivalent to the Kodiaq would arrive on the MEB platform or a future VW Group electric vehicle architecture. However, launching EVs below the Enyaq iV is the first priority. The company is developing new electric cars in size and price below the Enyaq iV to reach its electrifications targets and become a Top 5 car brand in Europe by 2030.

This (electrifying Kodiaq), I can agree, and look, it’s always this kind of questions you know, will it be electrified? Eventually, yeah, probably, you know, but will it be based on the same platform? No. Certainly not. So, the Enyaq from the size point of view, you know, it’s almost in the Kodiaq space. For now, as I said, our focus is now going rather a little bit in little smaller than the Enyaq than bigger than the Enyaq. But I wouldn’t say that in the long term that we’re not electrifying or have a vehicle in that space.

Thomas Schäfer, former CEO, Skoda Auto (Skoda Strategy 2030 announcement on June 24, 2021)

TopElectricSUV says

The next-gen Skoda Kodiaq should offer everything the current model has been popular for, including loads of cabin and cargo space, plenty of convenience and connectivity features, and many choices of performance levels. With improved engines and optional plug-in hybrid technology, the redesigned seven-seater SUV should have a quiet ride and lower total cost of ownership, and move closer to a fully electric future!

Featured Image: TopElectricSUV.com’s rendering imagines the SUV with the changes spotted on the future SUV’s test prototypes.