Skoda Australia is gearing up to bring its first plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) to local showrooms, and it insists they won’t come at the expense of its current combustion-powered models or its upcoming mild-hybrids.
The first two Skoda models to become available with PHEV power in Australia will be the Kodiaq large SUV, which arrives in December 2025, and the large Superb wagon, which will go on sale here in the first quarter of 2026, followed by the Superb sedan PHEV.
They’ll mark an essential next step in the Czech brand’s local electrification strategy, which started with the Enyaq and Elroq electric SUVs, as it attempts to meet increasingly stringent fleet-wide CO2 emissions limits imposed on auto brands by the federal government from this year as part of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).
“Obviously, there is a new regulation effective from July 1, so of course the electric vehicle sales have become a part of our daily life and business,” Skoda Australia director Lucie Kuhn told CarExpert at the local launch for the facelifted Enyaq.
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“On the other hand, what makes the Skoda brand really global is the wide range of cars, so not only the electrics but also the hybrids, and also the, let’s say, efficient combustion engines.
“So our actual goal and intention is to make sure that we cover all the segments in terms of size of the model, but also technology of the model.”
The updated Kodiaq arrived in Australia earlier this year, exclusively with petrol power, priced at either $56,990 or $61,990 drive-away, depending on the variant. The hotter RS flagship is due to be detailed imminently, ahead of the arrival of the first Kodiaq PHEVs before the end of the year.
“Pricing is still being negotiated for the plug-in hybrids, but the reality is you do need to pay for such drivetrains,” Skoda Australia head of marketing and product Kieran Merrigan told CarExpert.
“I was quoted to put a 20kWh battery in my home for $22,000; we’re putting a 25kWh battery in a nice car. So there is an expense there, and of course we want and need it to be competitive, but it’ll be dictated by the market.”
Skoda Australia confirmed the RS will remain its flagship Kodiaq, and the outgoing version was priced at $76,890 drive-away. By extension, this indicates the Kodiaq PHEV will be much more affordable than the more luxurious Volkswagen Touareg R PHEV, which is priced at $133,490 before on-road costs.
While Ms Kuhn still expects petrol-powered Kodiaqs to remain the most popular variants, the brand is confident a PHEV powertrain will have a positive impact on demand for the large SUV.
“We rather perceive it as an additional volume, sales opportunity, and an additional offer for our customers that are currently considering maybe going in the direction of electrics but maybe not [ready] – for now – to make a full switch to electric,” she told CarExpert.
As for Skoda’s other hybridised models, the Superb PHEV will be available in both liftback and wagon body styles. The wagon is due to arrive first, and Ms Kuhn believes that “volume-wise, the wagon will be more relevant”.
A mild-hybrid version of the Kodiaq is also due to arrive in the second quarter of 2026, as is a mild-hybrid Octavia. The Czech brand will debut its 48-volt mild-hybrid tech locally in the latter, which is offered with a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder mild-hybrid powertrain overseas.
This is available in either 85kW/220Nm or 110kW/250Nm tunes in other markets. Similarly, the Kodiaq gets the 110kW mild-hybrid powertrain overseas, which also features the Volkswagen Group’s fuel-saving cylinder deactivation technology.
Skoda Australia’s EV range, meanwhile, will expand further in the second quarter of 2026 with the arrival of hotter Elroq RS and Enyaq RS models.
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