Škoda boss unveils new SUV – Kodiaq RS
Just before the start of the 2018 Paris Motor Show, Czech automobile manufacturer Škoda revealed its new SUV model - Škoda Kodiaq RS. Speaking at the preview event in France, Škoda CEO, Bernhard Maier, further stated that the car maker has already produced over a million cars in 2018, setting a new production record.
The Kodiaq RS uses a plug-in hybrid drive that combines a petrol engine with a capacity of 1.5 litres and a power of 110 kW (150 hp) with an electric motor of 75 kW, giving a combined 245 hp. Running just on the electric motor would give let the Kodiaq travel a maximum distance of 70km. There are also other environmentally friendly features in the car. For example seats made out of vegan materials and components made out of recyclable carbon.
According to the Czech News Agency the SUV segment of its cars is becoming an increased centre of focus for Škoda, which by August 2018 had sold a million SUV’s.
Year-on-year production of the Czech car manufacturer has risen up by 11.6 percent, when compared to the first quarter of 2017. Speaking ahead of the motor show that will be held in the French capital, Maier said that Škoda cars were selling especially well in France. Going on to say that: “In the first half of the year we delivered 25 percent more cars than in the year before.”
According to Hospodářské noviny however, Škoda faces the threat of a sudden fall in its operating profits. While last year it was as high as EUR 1.6 billion, this could halve in next two years. The paper believes that 2020 will be a critical year for the company, for while demand for Škoda cars keeps increasing, the manufacturer is hitting the limit of its factories production capacities.
