Skoda confirmed on September 10, 2026, that it will build a second generation of its Karoq compact crossover — a genuine reversal, since the current Karoq, first launched in 2017, wasn’t originally slated for a direct successor at all. Skoda’s electrification plans had called for the Karoq’s spot in the lineup to be filled instead by the Elroq, the brand’s fully electric compact SUV. Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer confirmed the change of plan to Autocar, saying the new Karoq will “launch in 2027 or 2028.”
The timing is notable given what Skoda has said about a different model just days earlier. Autocar reported on September 6 that Skoda was separately considering retiring its larger Superb sedan and wagon as part of Volkswagen Group’s broader Future Plan 2030 restructuring, which calls for cutting the group’s total model count by roughly 50% by 2035. That the same company, in the same week, is both weighing the elimination of one model and reviving another it had previously planned to discontinue illustrates just how actively every VW Group brand is currently reassessing its lineup model by model, rather than applying a single blanket strategy across the board.
Why Skoda Changed Its Mind
The explanation Zellmer gave is refreshingly direct: the Elroq simply hasn’t fully replaced the market the Karoq used to serve. “We would like to see the Elroq totally replace that kind of market for us, but it doesn’t, so we see great potential for the Karoq and its successor,” Zellmer said. That’s a notable admission from a company executive, since it amounts to acknowledging that a specific electrification bet — retiring a popular gas-powered model in favor of an EV replacement — didn’t fully pan out as planned, even though the Elroq itself has actually performed well on its own terms, becoming the second best-selling electric car in Europe.
Zellmer drew a direct parallel to how the Elroq itself came about: “While a new Karoq wasn’t originally in Skoda’s plans, Zellmer noted that the firm also hadn’t originally planned to launch the Elroq,” according to Autocar’s reporting. “We came with that car because we saw there was massive potential, and thank God we did,” Zellmer said of the Elroq’s unplanned addition to the lineup — framing the new Karoq as a similar act of responding to what customers actually want, rather than sticking rigidly to a strategy set years in advance.
What We Know About the New Karoq
Based on Zellmer’s comments, the second-generation Karoq will continue riding on the Volkswagen Group’s existing MQB platform, the same underpinnings used by the current model and its closely related sibling, the Volkswagen T-Roc. The most significant change will be under the hood: while today’s Karoq offers only pure petrol and mild-hybrid engines, Zellmer strongly hinted the next generation will add a genuine plug-in hybrid option for the first time.
“Our plug-in hybrids are in great demand,” Zellmer said. “If you look at an electric range of more than 100km [62 miles], that is perfect for a successor to the Karoq.” He added that the new Karoq’s powertrain lineup “will be very comparable to what we have in the Kodiaq,” Skoda’s larger, seven-seat SUV that already offers a well-regarded plug-in hybrid option — suggesting Skoda plans to bring a proven powertrain formula down into a smaller, more affordable body style rather than developing something entirely new.
On pricing, Zellmer indicated Skoda intends to keep the new Karoq competitive with the current model’s segment despite the added technology, saying “it will be a significant change to the current Elroq, but we’re trying to hit the same price segment so you get more value for your money” — though it’s worth noting his phrasing there compares the new Karoq to the Elroq specifically, suggesting the two models may end up priced relatively close to one another despite using different powertrain technology. That would set the new Karoq apart from the next-generation Volkswagen T-Roc, which shares its platform but is not expected to receive the same plug-in hybrid option.
A Pattern Emerging Across Skoda’s Lineup
Taken together with the Superb situation, a clearer picture of Skoda’s actual strategy under Future Plan 2030 starts to emerge: rather than making a single sweeping call to shrink the lineup by cutting broadly, the brand appears to be running separate, model-by-model evaluations based on real demand data. Where a body style is genuinely losing ground to SUVs and crossovers — the case Zellmer made for the Superb’s sedan and wagon body styles — Skoda seems willing to consider retirement or consolidation. Where a model still has clear customer demand that an EV alternative hasn’t fully absorbed — the case with the Karoq and the Elroq — Skoda is willing to reverse an earlier decision and bring the model back, even after previously signaling it wouldn’t get a direct successor.
That approach tracks with the broader intent behind Volkswagen Group’s Future Plan 2030, which calls for reducing overall model complexity by roughly 75% while cutting total model count by half — the goal isn’t simply having fewer cars for its own sake, but concentrating engineering and manufacturing resources on the specific models that clearly earn their place in a smaller combined lineup.
What This Means for Skoda Shoppers
For anyone currently shopping the compact crossover segment who’s been holding out hope for a proper Karoq successor, Zellmer’s comments confirm one is genuinely coming, with a launch window of 2027 or 2028 and a strong likelihood of a plug-in hybrid option offering well over 100km of electric-only range. In the meantime, current Karoq owners and shoppers eyeing the existing model shouldn’t expect an abrupt discontinuation, since a genuine second generation is now confirmed to be in development rather than left as an open question. Buyers specifically interested in a compact SUV with meaningful electric-only range, but who aren’t ready to commit to a fully electric vehicle like the Elroq, now have a concrete reason to wait for the next-generation Karoq rather than looking elsewhere in the segment.
