Skoda said its new large SUV will be called Kodiaq after a bear that lives on an island off Alaska.
The seven-seat SUV will go on sale in Europe at the beginning of next year as a rival to models such as the Nissan X-Trail, Hyundai's Santa Fe and Kia's Mohave, all of which have seven-seat versions. Skoda unveiled Kodiaq as the Vision S concept at the Geneva Auto Show in March, Automotive News reported.
The SUV will sit above the compact Yeti. No pricing has been given, but the German press has speculated it will undercut its competition and start at around €24,000.
“We want to offer the best package in the segment. With Skoda, you always get more car for your money,” Skoda CEO Bernhard Maier told journalists at the unveiling of the Vision S.
Skoda said Kodiaq is of the same length as Vision at 4700 mm long. Kodiaq will be built on the same VW Group MQB platform as the Skoda midsize car. Skoda is expected to build the SUV in its Kvasiny plant in the Czech Republic alongside the smaller SUV Ateca. It has spent seven billion crowns ($280 million) to increase capacity at the plant to 280,000 cars, up from 150,000.
Kodiaq will be presented in the second half of 2016, Skoda said without elaboration. The German media has speculated it will be revealed at the Paris Auto show. The Alaskan bear after which the SUV is named is called Kodiak in English.
Skoda said it changed "k" to "q" at the end of the name.
