Škoda Auto's electric divide

Ads for the Enyaq iV are suddenly everywhere. In them, Škoda Auto boasts that this is its first fully electric SUV. "Fully electric" is also what Chair Thomas Schäfer said Škoda would be in 10 years. That's what he told FAZ of Germany in Feb., but since then his underlings have been backing away from this bold claim. Sales & Marketing Board Member Martin Jahn told E15 this month that unlike some other car makers, Škoda doesn't have a firm date for exiting from internal-combustion engines. He said he couldn't even make an estimate, because countries like Russia and India will apparently take longer to adopt e-cars. Škoda is serving these markets and is interested in expanding into more of them, such as Vietnam, Jahn told HN in April. Škoda will be the last Volkswagen brand to go fully electric, he said. What he didn't say, and what Czech workers and parts suppliers should still be worried about, is whether the plan is for Škoda to be fully electric in Europe in 10 years.