With the Epiq, Skoda attacks the electric market from below
- Skoda presented its new small battery electric B-segment SUV, named Epiq, which will be marketed next year. This model is shorter than its thermal engine counterpart, the Kamiq, as it measures 4.10 m compared to 4.25 m for the Kamiq. In fact, the Skoda Epiq will be the same length as the Fabia B-segment sedan (thermal engines only).
- Announced for around 25,000 euros (before bonus deduction), the new Skoda Epiq is one of these long-awaited new battery electric small models because they are marketed at a more reasonable price than the battery electric models sold today in Europe. The excessively high price of these vehicles constitutes one of the obstacles to the development of BEV market in Europe. Since the beginning of 2024, sales of this type of vehicle have stagnated in Europe at 13% market share, while the European regulation of April 19, 2023 only authorizes from 2035 the registration of zero emissions vehicles and alternatively ones operating exclusively with CO2 neutral fuels.
- Luckily, carmakers are preparing the launch of BEVs sold at a price of between 20,000 and 25,000 euros (before deduction of bonuses). The new Citroën e-C3 starts at an announced price of 23,300 euros, or 19,300 euros bonus deducted. The future Fiat Panda presented in July 2024 should be sold at a similar price. The future Volkswagen ID2 which will share its platform with the Skoda Epiq will be in the same price range. The Renault 4 and 5 E-Tech are announced at very competitive prices. As for the future Renault Twingo E-Tech, it could be offered at a price close to 20,000 euros (before deduction of the bonus), thanks to its Franco-Chinese design.
- The Dacia Spring is currently priced at 18,400 or 19,900 euros depending on the version, but it is no longer eligible for the ecological bonus. This is the cheapest battery electric car on the market today. A Leapmotor T03 is priced at 25,900 euros and it is not entitled to the bonus either as long as it is imported from China (a production in kits, SDK – Semi Knocked Down –, seems planned in Tichy in Poland, but with however an uncertain guarantee to benefit from the bonus, at least in France).