VW-owned Skoda preparing Santa Fe-fighting SUV - Automobile News

Earmarked for a 2015 launch, the yet-unnamed SUV will be offered as both a five-seater and a seven-seater in order to take on Hyundai's popular Santa Fe.



Precise details about what the SUV will look like are not yet available but Czech sources indicate that it will wear an aggressive design that will be loosely inspired by the recently-introduced third-generation Octavia.

To briskly move its considerable weight, Škoda's big 'ute will rely on four- and six-cylinders gasoline and diesel engines regardless of what market it is sold in. A diesel-electric hybrid drivetrain might arrive later in the production run to meet strict emissions regulations in Europe and in China.

Škoda hopes that the SUV will give its global sales a considerable boost and help it meet its ambitious goal of building 1.5 million vehicles a year by 2018.

Automakers in Europe have long pouted SUVs and crossovers but increasing sales in key global markets and on the Old Continent have pushed a majority of them to enter the fray. Peugeot, Renault, Opel, SEAT, Fiat and Alfa Romeo are all expected to launch a new SUV or crossover over the next 24 months. /* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */ div.post-content1{ color: #000000; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.333em; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 10px; } /* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */ div.post-content1 ul li { list-style:disc !important; margin-left:20px; color:#000000; } div.post-content1 ol li { list-style-type: decimal !important; margin-left:20px; color:#000000; } #editorial_graph ul li { list-style:none !important; margin-left:0px; }

Source: Leftlanenews