The Ford Mondeo and Opel Insignia have been discontinued for some time due to shrinking demand for midsize cars in Europe but that’s not stopping Skoda from introducing a new Superb. The Czech automaker’s flagship car will live to see a fourth generation (fifth if you’re counting the 1934-1949 model) in both liftback and wagon body styles. The latter is being teased alongside the second-gen Kodiaq while undergoing testing at the Arctic Circle.
The two vehicles were subjected to harsh evaluations at temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit) on icy roads packed with snow. Skoda doesn’t go into details about the cars, only saying the Superb and Kodiaq have gone through several tests, covering everything from the chassis and body to the electrical system and what will be the optional auxiliary heating.
Tests also involved assessing the responsiveness of the touchscreen at interior temperatures below 0ºC (32ºF). Both the Superb and Kodiaq will be offered with plug-in hybrid powertrains for which Skoda charged their battery packs in a frozen state and went on to determine the maximum electric range. Overall, tens of thousands of kilometers were done during the Arctic Circle test.
The new models will share an updated MQB platform with more efficient gasoline and diesel engines developed to meet the upcoming Euro 7 regulations. It’ll be interesting to see whether the base versions will retain a six-speed manual gearbox or if Skoda intends to sell the cars exclusively with an automatic.
Superb production is moving from Kvasiny (Czech Republic) to Bratislava (Slovakia) where it’ll be assembled alongside the Skoda-developed, wagon-only Volkswagen Passat. The Kodiaq will remain in production at the Kvasiny factory.
Skoda intends to unveil the 2024 Superb and 2024 Kodiaq this fall at separate events. Their next-generation VW equivalents, Passat and Tiguan, are also expected to premiere before the year’s end.
