Skoda to crown range with seven-seat SUV (2014)

By Ollie Kew

Motor Industry

19 April 2014 17:00

Skoda is plotting a large new 4x4 to sit at the top of its range, CAR can reveal. The new SUV will compete with Korean seven-seater SUVs like the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sportage, and be positioned a rung further up than Skoda's wildly successful Yeti crossover.

Skoda's top brass has already green-lighted the plan to offer a family 4x4, and early prototype miles are reportedly already at the initial testing phase, CAR has learned.

The new 4x4 will not be a sister-car to the confirmed new SUV from Skoda's VW Group sister brand, Seat. While the Seat will be based on the existing Yeti's platform, a candidate for the new Skoda's platform is the MQB-B architecture which will underpin VW’s own new seven-seat SUV, due in 2016.

Alternatively, Skoda could cut costs (and jeep the car's price down) by recycling architecture from the current VW family portfolio, such as the recently facelifted Touareg. Meanwhile, VW is also thought to be plotting an expansion of its long-wheelbase Tiguan sales, away from China and into the USA and possibly Europe, if demand is there.

While the car is a dead cert, the name is anything but. Rumours of anything from Snowman to Yeti Plus have been bandied around so far. We’ll find out closer to the 4x4's expected debut in 2017 or 2018.

By Ollie Kew