Skoda will have a sub-€20k EV on sale by the end of the decade

Skoda says that it will have a sub-€20k electric vehicle on the road by the end of the decade, as part of what it says is its commitment to providing value for money.

Company boss Klaus Zellmer was talking at the Munich motor show and admits the budget feat isn't possible at the moment, but that the firm would be learning from its experiences over the coming years to drive down costs of electric vehicles and get a small electric hatch on the road.

Skoda has an EV arriving in 2025 on the same platform as Volkswagen's ID.2, and Zellmer says that the A0 electric car (as it’s codenamed internally) will be pitched at under €25k, and the company will focus after that on getting an EV to market that costs under €20k. He thinks it will be possible, but admits that it will take time for the technology to develop and for the company to work out how it can build an electric car to a budget. “Value for money is our DNA,” says Zellmer. “I would never neglect that.”

But what will that affordable EV look like? “I’m thinking of the Fabia, an entry level car with the space, safety and comfort people expect from Skoda.” He says that car will arrive in the second half of the decade, and it will definitely have a new name. “Fabia won’t live on – we’ve got our strategy.” The company’s plan for electric cars is names that begin with an E and end with a Q, so suggestions on a postcard to Klaus Zellmer, Skoda Auto, Mlada Boleslav.

Whatever it ends up being called, getting it right is crucial for Skoda - its entry hatch is a key car for the brand. “The easiest sell at the moment is a Fabia,” says Zellmer. But the game has changed with the rise of the infotainment as arguably the most important element of the car. “You have to adapt almost monthly, you can’t wait for the facelift,” explains the Skoda boss.

He admitted that the brand had been damaged by delivering cars with sub-standard infotainment systems. “I’m convinced this is the right path, but we’re not yet where we need to be.”

The A0 EV will be Skoda’s version of the Volkswagen ID.2 electric vehicle, revealed earlier this year, built in Spain along with the Cupra version of the car. It’ll arrive in 2025, but no details have been made public yet.