Geneva show: Skoda to lift lid on SUV

SKODA has teased a “big” reveal on its Czech Republic Facebook page that is likely to be the long-anticipated large SUV that it will share with sister brand Volkswagen.

The car-maker has revealed very little at this early stage, apart from an image of a garage door emblazoned with the Skoda logo, and the caption “Bude to velke a bude to brzy” which translates from Czech to English as “In this garage is planning something big. Can you guess what it might be?” It is believed that the forthcoming SUV will be offered in five- and seven-seat guise and will be built on Volkswagen Group's MQB architecture that underpins the Passat and Superb, as well as the upcoming second-generation Tiguan.

Skoda is yet to reveal a concept version of the SUV, but it could be mechanically related to a production version of Volkswagen's CrossBlue seven-seat concept that made its debut at the 2013 Detroit motor show.

Alternatively there is a chance it could be the twin under the skin to the seven-seat VW Tiguan that is set for a reveal later this year. Some early reports had speculated that Skoda's first large SUV would come with the Snowman moniker, while more recent reports have suggested the Kodiak nameplate, although Skoda is yet to announce what name it will take.

Whatever it is called, the new model will sit above the compact Yeti in Skoda's line-up and couls be pitched against mainstream offerings such as Nissan's X-trail, the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5 among others when it eventually arrives in Australian showrooms.

While timing is still uncertain for Down Under, Skoda Australia director Michael Irmer told GoAuto in July that the Czech brand was planning the model's arrival.

“We are currently working on the business plan to bring it here, that means line-up, engines, mixes, pricing and all the rest of it,” he said. “I would not go so far to make a statement definitely confirming before I have it all signed off, but it's pretty safe, let's put it that way.” Skoda had a strong year in Australia last year, achieving record sales of 4750 units, a 23.3 per cent leap over its 2014 result.

While the Octavia mid-sizer was easily its best-seller with 2128 sales, the new-gen Fabia also lifted by 38.6 per cent to 618 units, while the Yeti dropped by 2.8 per cent for 855 sales.