2021 Skoda Enyaq iV EV previewed

Skoda has followed up last month’s preview of the Enyaq iV’s cabin with new design sketches of the pure-electric SUV’s exterior styling.

Revealed overnight ahead of the Skoda Enyaq iV's global debut on September 1, the new drawings of the compact electric SUV give us our first look at the Czech brand’s take on the Volkswagen ID. 4 SUV.

The Skoda Enyaq is being created to rival cars like the Kia e-Niro and Peugeot e-2008, and -- ike the Volkswagen ID.4 -- it sits on the Volkswagen Group’s all-new dedicated EV platform dubbed MEB.

Already previewed by the Vision iV concept unveiled last year, the production versions appears to have stayed true to the original show car, although the rear-facing cameras and full-length front light bar will be dropped for production.

Other changes appear to be the introduction of a less rakish, more practical rear-end and the addition of a pair of Octavia-style tail-lights.

Curiously, Skoda is primed to offer an SUV-coupe version later on and it will look more like the original 2019 concept.

Destined to sit above the mid-size Karoq and below the large Kodiaq in Skoda's SUV line-up, the Enyaq iV will offer interior space on par with far bigger SUVs thanks to its flat floor and lack of transmission tunnel intrusion.

Boot space has already confirmed to be around 585 litres.

Sticking within the cabin, the earlier teaser suggests the battery-powered Enyaq iV will feature a two-spoke steering wheel and a large 13-inch landscape-mounted infotainment touch-screen accompanied by a strip of piano-style keys.

Ahead of the driver, a smaller digital instrument cluster is backed up by a next-generation head-up display that uses augmented reality.Instead of acres of plastic, the production-ready Skoda Enyaq iV will rely on natural, recycled and sustainably produced materials, such as recycled bottle plastics for the seat covering and leathers tanned using extracts of olive oil production.

Skoda has announced that the Enyaq iV, which will be available with the choice of rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, will come with three battery sizes and up to five different power outputs.

Choose the most powerful 82kWh battery and the Czech brand says its first-ever zero-emissions SUV will be capable of covering up to 500km (WLTP-verified) between top-ups.

Smaller 55kWh batteries should provide a range of 340km, while the middling 62kWh offering will provide Enyaq iV owners with a range of up to 390km.

Using a fast-charger, Skoda is expected to announce that the Enyaq iV will be capable of boosting its battery charge from 10 to 80 per cent in only 40 minutes.

Once on sale, Skoda’s high-performance RS division is expected to introduce a faster version that should produce in excess of 225kW.

European deliveries of the Skoda Enyaq iV, which is set to be unveiled during an online event hosted in Prague on September 1, are set to begin in 2021. There’s no word yet on an Australian release.