Skoda Enyaq 2024: Australian release date and launch models announced

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The Skoda Enyaq electric midsize SUV will be released in Australia in July 2024, the Czech brand announced today, with the charge led by two highly-specified variants.

When the Skoda Enyaq arrives, it will join the growing electric SUV fray in Australia, competing with the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Volkswagen’s forthcoming ID4 and ID5 among others.

Australian buyers will be able to opt either for the rear-wheel drive Enyaq 85 with 210kW of power or the all-wheel drive Enyaq RS with 250kW.

We’ve asked when pre-orders will open for interested Australians and will update this story when we receive word. Pricing wasn’t announced today; it could start from around $75,000 before on-road costs.

Like other Skoda models, it is probable that the Enyaq will be available with at least one option package per grade, allowing buyers to select higher-end luxury or tech features in a discounted pack.

It’ll be far from the cheapest model in the brand’s local range, with Skoda Australia boss telling Chasing Cars in July 2023 that owning an EV means lower whole-of-life costs rather than a lower purchase price.

Skoda might also choose to offer the posh Enyaq L&K trim grade as a special edition at a later date.

Both of the available Enyaq body styles – a traditional SUV and a coupé SUV – are likely to come to Australia, with the coupé SUV now “definite”, according to Skoda Australia public relations manager Daniel DeGasperi.

Final negotiations are ongoing regarding production volumes for our market. If it was forced to choose between the body styles, Skoda Australia would select the coupé over the standard SUV, DeGasperi said – but the hope is to bring both formats here.

Skoda announced a technical update for the Enyaq earlier this week, with the update adding power and range while reducing charging times, and Australian-specification cars will benefit from these changes.

Inside, the 2024 Enyaq features a redesigned infotainment system with version 4.0 software. Climate controls are always displayed on screen. Skoda advised it was too early to say whether the Australian-spec Enyaq would have online connectivity features such as an app.

Overseas, a smaller battery is available on offer plus the ability to configure a non-RS Enyaq with all-wheel drive, but the Australian range will be much more straightforward – at least at first.

Both trim grades of Enyaq for Australia – the 85 and the RS – utilise a 77kWh-usable battery with a peak DC charging speed of 175kW, up from 135kW before the latest update.

The car’s infotainment and navigation can now trigger battery preheating.

The heightened peak charging speed has slashed eight minutes from the Enyaq’s claimed 20-80 percent recharge time – down to 28 minutes from 36min.

Driving range is nearly identical across all grades because even the all-wheel drive Enyaq RS has the ability to disconnect its secondary, front motor when driving moderately.

Model	Usable battery	Efficiency (WLTP)	Range (WLTP)
Enyaq SUV 85	77.0	13.6kWh/100km	565km
Enyaq Coupe 85	77.0	13.3kWh/100km	576km
Enyaq RS SUV	77.0	14.2kWh/100km	541km
Enyaq Coupe RS	77.0	14.1kWh/100km	547km

What the statistics don’t make initially clear is the substantial upgrade made to the rear motor used by both trim grades of Enyaq for Australia.

The new APP510 rear motor is considerably more powerful than the APP310 unit it replaces, and improvements in cooling and thermal efficiency also increase energy efficiency.

This improvement means the rear-drive Enyaq 85 produces 210kW of power (281hp) and 545Nm of torque – good enough for a 0-100km/h claim of 6.7 seconds, or two seconds quicker than last year’s 150kW/310Nm Enyaq 80.

Opting for the dual-motor RS sees total power climb to 250kW for a claimed 0-100km/h sprint of 5.5 seconds. The updated Enyaq RS is the most powerful vehicle ever sold by Skoda.

Both trim grades have a limited top speed of 180km/h.