The Skoda Octavia will gain hybrid power as the Czech brand looks to offer buyers of the family hatchback and estate a full gamut of powertrain options.
“What you can expect for the Octavia is that you will get pure-hybrid and plug-in hybrid solutions in future,” technical chief Johannes Neft told Autocar.
The full-hybrid powertrian is expected to be that which will make its debut in the technically related Volkswagen Golf and T-Roc later this year.
This matches the Volkswagen Group’s familiar 1.5-litre turbo petrol four and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox with an electric motor and a 1.6kWh battery.
The motor is used to drive the wheels at slower speeds, with the engine kicking in under higher loads.
In the Golf and T-Roc, the system will offer a combined output of either 136bhp or 170bhp. Both configurations are expected to be available in the Octavia.
A new plug-in hybrid Octavia, meanwhile, is expected to use the same powertrain as the current Golf eHybrid.
This uses the same 1.5-litre engine but a six-speed dual-clutch 'box, while its battery is upsized to 19.7kWh to offer an electric-only range of 88 miles.
Although EV range is likely to be slightly shorter in the larger Octavia, such a figure would place the model in the competitive 7% benefit-in-kind tax band for company car users.
Diesel is also expected to remain in the Octavia line-up for the foreseeable future, as Neft committed to offering a “complete range of combustion versions”.
An electric Octavia was previewed by the Vision O concept at last year’s Munich motor show, but this isn't due to manifest as a production car until the turn of the decade.
Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer previously told Autocar that the firm “wanted to keep all avenues open in terms of what is feasible” in offering an ICE Octavia in the long term.
