Skoda gives shadowy glimpse of Kodiaq RS

Skoda has teased two new darkened images of the Kodiaq RS it will unveil this October at the Paris motor show.

The pics, released overnight, aren't especially revealing aside from showing off the fast SUV's new 20-inch wheel design and all-new 'RS' badge that will be used on all future high-performance Skodas.

The new RS logo is said to feature a red 'V' and a stripe ahead of the RS in place of the old badge that used the colour green.

Back in June this year, a camouflaged Kodiaq RS proved its performance credentials by lapping the Nurburgring Nordshleife in 9:29.84, making it the fastest seven-seat SUV around the 'Ring ever.

Powered by the twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre diesel engine that already sees service in Volkswagen's Tiguan, the Kodiaq RS is believed to produce around 177kW and 500Nm.

That should see the Skoda Kodiaq RS hit 100km/h in 6.5 seconds and top out at 229km/h -- exactly the same as the Tiguan with the same engine.

As well as standard all-wheel drive, Skoda has confirmed the Kodiaq RS will get Dynamic Chassis Control, which offers Eco, Comfort, Normal and Sport driving modes that tailors the performance of the dampers, throttle and gearbox.

The Kodiaq RS will be only the second high-performance Skoda model offered in global markets, although that's likely to change in 2020 when a hybrid-powered Fabia RS arrives.

It’s still not been confirmed whether or not the faster Kodiaq RS is destined to be sold Down Under, following concerns that it won’t have enough cooling for a ‘hot weather’ market like Australia.

If it does make it here, Skoda might follow the lead of other Volkswagen Group brands like Audi and detune the Kodiaq RS to meet the car-maker’s internal durability standards.