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The Octavia and Kodiaq will be the first Skoda models in Australia to come with mild-hybrid technology, arriving in the second quarter of 2026.
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Skoda will launch two mild-hybrid models next year, with the fuel-saving technology to complement the arrival of plug-in hybrid models and expanded EV offerings.
Speaking at the launch of the new fully-electric Skoda Elroq medium SUV last week, the brand confirmed mild-hybrid versions of the Octavia and Kodiaq will launch in Australia in 2026.
The pair will arrive slightly after plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants of the Kodiaq and Superb in the first quarter of next year.
“Mild hybrid, we are working on, again it will be a similar time (to the PHEV), maybe quarter two,” Merrigan told media, including Drive.
Unlike traditional hybrid systems, the mild-hybrids can’t drive their wheels on electric power alone, instead using a small electric motor to assist the engine when it’s under load, or turn it off when the car is coasting, to save fuel.
The absence of the technology in Skoda’s line-up was a contributor to a 37 per cent sales slump for the brand locally in 2024, as previously reported by Drive.
“I think this was also one of the reasons why we, maybe, in the last year lost the [sales] momentum,” Director Lucie Kuhn told Drive back in March.
“Hybrids are something the customers obviously expect and require.”
While Audi has several mild-hybrid versions in its model range, Skoda and fellow VW Group brand Volkswagen do not.
VW now has the ID.4, ID.5, ID.Buzz and Tayron electric vehicles in Australia, as well as the Touareg R PHEV.
Overseas, the Octavia mild-hybrid combines a 110kW/250Nm 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine with a single electric motor, 48-volt battery, and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Skoda quotes a fuel consumption figure of 4.9-5.4L/100km (WLTP) depending on the variant.
In Australia, the current Octavia 110TSI produces the same outputs but from a 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, with a fuel consumption claim of 6.1-6.2L/100km (WLTP).
The Kodiaq 140TSI, meanwhile, locally uses a 2.0-litre turbo-four making 140kW/320Nm, with a claimed fuel consumption of 9.2L/100km.
When the mild-hybrid Kodiaq arrives in Australia, it would likely come with the 1.5-litre 110TSI available overseas.
That would, however mean only the front wheels would be driven as the current local Kodiaq is all-wheel drive.
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A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.
