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2027 Škoda Peaq First Look: The Biggest Škoda Yet Thinks Big—and Mostly Delivers

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Škoda’s new electric flagship arrives with seven seats, nearly 400 miles of claimed range, and enough practicality to make a Swiss Army knife look under-equipped.

Who doesn’t appreciate a car that tells you exactly what it is?

The Smart Fortwo was a smart car for two. The Hyundai Coupe was, well, a coupe. And now Škoda gives us the Peaq—a name that leaves little room for interpretation. It’s the biggest, most luxurious, and most expensive model the Czech automaker has ever produced. No marketing gymnastics required.

Of course, naming conventions get a little confusing when the Peaq arrives alongside the much smaller Epiq, but that’s a problem for Škoda’s branding department. The important part is that the Peaq represents the brand’s most ambitious electric vehicle yet, and after getting behind the wheel of a prototype ahead of its official reveal, it’s clear Škoda isn’t interested in merely participating in the growing electric SUV segment. It wants to lead it.

Modern Solid, Maximum Presence

Scheduled for its full debut on June 23 in southeastern France, the seven-seat Peaq will become the fourth member of Škoda’s expanding EV lineup. Measuring nearly 193 inches long (4.9 meters), it’s around 10 inches longer than the Enyaq and more than 4 inches longer than the combustion-powered Kodiaq.

The styling introduces Škoda’s latest “Modern Solid” design language on its largest canvas yet. Preview sketches reveal a striking front end defined by the brand’s illuminated Tech-Deck Face, distinctive T-shaped LED lighting signatures, thick rear pillars, and a dramatic front fascia that Škoda designers describe as “volcano-shaped.”

While our heavily camouflaged prototype kept some secrets hidden, its proportions closely mirror those of the Vision 7S concept that previewed both the Peaq and Škoda’s new design direction. The result is cleaner, bolder, and more confident than previous Škoda SUVs without resorting to unnecessary visual theatrics.

As Karl Neuhold, the designer responsible for the exterior, explains, the goal was to create a vehicle with “clean lines, balanced proportions and distinctive elements.” Translation: fewer gimmicks, more substance.

Bigger Than a Kodiaq, Smarter Than Before

Underneath sits an extended version of Volkswagen Group’s familiar MEB electric architecture. Think Enyaq, but stretched and optimized for family-hauling duty.

Three powertrains are expected. Entry-level “60” models will pair a 59-kWh battery with a 201-hp rear-mounted motor. Above that sits what is likely to become the sweet spot of the range: a rear-wheel-drive version with 282 horsepower and an 86-kWh battery offering more than 380 miles of claimed range.

At the top of the lineup, the dual-motor 90X adds all-wheel drive and bumps output to 295 hp.

Fast charging peaks at an impressive 195 kW, helping the Peaq remain competitive against rivals like the Peugeot E-5008 while significantly undercutting premium alternatives such as the Kia EV9, Hyundai Ioniq 9, and Volvo EX90. Pricing is expected to land between £50,000 and £60,000 in the UK.

And yes, when asked about a future vRS performance version, Škoda executives responded with knowing smiles and a carefully chosen “anything is possible.” We’ll take that as a very strong maybe.

The Most Technological Skoda Yet

Beyond its size, the Peaq introduces a long list of firsts for the brand.

There’s one-pedal driving. Vehicle-to-load charging. An electrochromic panoramic roof. Magnetic wireless phone chargers. A reclining “Relax” seat package complete with a fold-out table. A premium Sonos audio system. Even the flush door handles are electrically deployable and feature a self-extracting function if frozen.

Inside, the centerpiece is a new 13.6-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen—the first vertical display fitted to a Škoda. The layout is logical enough: navigation and camera functions occupy the upper section within easy sightlines, while climate and shortcut controls remain lower down for easier reach.

It works well, though the vertical orientation comes with one casualty: Škoda’s wonderfully tactile Smart Dials, which don’t fit beneath the screen. That’s a shame because they remain one of the cleverest infotainment solutions in the industry.

Room for Seven—Sort Of

The stretched wheelbase pays immediate dividends inside.

Compared with the Kodiaq, second-row passengers gain over two inches of additional legroom, while third-row occupants benefit from a meaningful increase in available space. Adults won’t be volunteering for cross-country journeys back there, but children will have little reason to complain.

Cargo capacity remains a strong suit. Even with all seven seats in place, there’s 299 liters of storage available. Fold the third row and capacity expands to a substantial 935 liters. There’s also a small 35-liter front trunk, though realistically it will spend most of its life housing charging cables.

Which is exactly what most owners will want.

Surprisingly Agile for Something This Large

Out on the roads around Italy’s Lake Como, the Peaq immediately feels familiar—in the best possible way.

Essentially, it drives like a larger Enyaq.

That means composed handling, sensible chassis tuning, and a degree of maneuverability that seems at odds with its dimensions. The rear-wheel-drive version’s turning circle measures just 9.9 meters—actually tighter than a Volkswagen Golf’s—and it shows. Tight urban streets and crowded parking areas present surprisingly little challenge.

Steering is nicely weighted and responsive enough to disguise some of the vehicle’s considerable mass. Ride quality remains a standout. Despite the absence of air suspension, the prototype absorbed broken pavement and rough surfaces with impressive composure, even while riding on 20-inch wheels.

Adaptive dampers are available, offering 14 different settings between Comfort and Sport. Unsurprisingly, the middle setting proves best. Sport introduces unnecessary nervousness, while Comfort becomes a touch too relaxed. The default calibration strikes the most natural balance.

Plenty of Power, Plenty of Sense

Our test vehicle used the 282-hp rear-drive setup, and it feels entirely adequate.

Škoda claims a 0–62 mph time of 7.1 seconds, though the more impressive achievement is how smoothly the power is delivered. Rather than launching occupants into the headrests at every green light, the Peaq accelerates with a linear, progressive character that feels mature and well judged.

In a market increasingly obsessed with eye-watering power figures and sub-five-second acceleration times, that restraint is refreshing.

The rear-drive model also appears likely to offer the best balance of performance, range, and refinement. The entry-level version may struggle under full passenger loads, while the all-wheel-drive flagship sacrifices some efficiency for gains many buyers may rarely exploit.

Early Verdict

Škoda views the Peugeot E-5008 as the Peaq’s most direct competitor, and it’s easy to see why. The electric seven-seat SUV market remains surprisingly thin, populated mostly by expensive premium offerings and a growing number of Chinese challengers.

If the finished production car remains faithful to what we’ve experienced here, the Peaq could quickly establish itself as one of the segment’s benchmark offerings.

It’s spacious, thoughtfully engineered, packed with genuinely useful technology, and drives with the calm confidence that has become a Škoda trademark.

Most importantly, it doesn’t try too hard to reinvent the family SUV formula. Instead, it simply executes it exceptionally well.

For a company whose motto is “Simply Clever,” that feels entirely appropriate.

Source: Škoda

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Mini’s Mid-Cycle Makeover Is About More Than New Bumpers

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Design boss Holger Hampf is preparing the biggest Mini refresh in years—and it could bring rugged Countrymans, hotter JCWs, and a clearer vision for the brand’s future.

Mini’s latest generation of cars is still young by industry standards. The Cooper hatchback, Countryman crossover, and Aceman EV have barely settled into showrooms, yet the company is already putting the finishing touches on what could become one of the most significant mid-cycle updates in its modern history.

The reason has a name: Holger Hampf.

The former Designworks executive arrived from BMW’s California-based design consultancy in late 2024 and inherited a lineup that was effectively complete before he stepped through the door. As a result, the new Cooper, Countryman, and Aceman carry little of his influence. That is about to change.

Speaking about the upcoming Life Cycle Impulse—the BMW Group’s corporate shorthand for a major facelift—Hampf described the project as an “important milestone” for Mini. While that might sound like typical executive optimism, the implications suggest something more substantial than revised lighting signatures and fresh wheel designs.

For Mini, these updates will represent the first real opportunity to respond to customer feedback from the latest generation while introducing Hampf’s own vision for where the brand should go next.

Back to Basics

If there’s one theme guiding Mini’s future, it’s proportion.

Ask almost anyone to sketch a Mini from memory and they’ll probably get the same thing right: short overhangs, wheels pushed to the corners, and a compact, upright stance. Hampf believes those proportions are more important than any grille shape or lighting graphic.

It’s a philosophy that explains why the three-door Cooper remains untouchable despite virtually every rival abandoning the traditional three-door hatchback format.

“The three-door hatch will always be our anchor,” Hampf insists, reinforcing what many enthusiasts have hoped to hear. In an era when manufacturers are rapidly consolidating lineups around crossovers, Mini still views the classic Cooper as the center of its universe.

That doesn’t mean size won’t continue to creep upward. Regulations, crash requirements, pedestrian-protection standards, sensors, cameras, and increasingly sophisticated driver-assistance systems all demand additional space. The modern Cooper is larger than its predecessors not because designers wanted it that way, but because the realities of modern car development leave little alternative.

A Mini Ready for the Wilderness?

One of Hampf’s most intriguing hints concerns a possible off-road-inspired Mini.

Without revealing specifics, he pointed to the growing popularity of outdoor lifestyles and consumers looking to escape urban environments. Translation: Mini sees opportunity beyond city streets.

The obvious candidate is the Countryman.

Already the largest model in the lineup and the only Mini available with all-wheel drive, the Countryman provides a natural foundation for a more adventurous variant. Think less hardcore rock crawler and more lifestyle-oriented machine—something capable of tackling gravel roads on the way to a mountain bike trailhead while looking the part in the process.

Given the success of vehicles such as the Ford Bronco Sport and Subaru Crosstrek, it’s easy to understand the appeal.

The Return of Character

While Mini’s core lineup appears set for refinement rather than revolution, the John Cooper Works division may be preparing for something far more exciting.

According to Hampf, there’s still plenty of room to expand the performance hierarchy.

The comments suggest Mini could follow a strategy similar to BMW’s increasingly layered M portfolio, creating greater separation between mainstream performance models and more focused enthusiast offerings. Crucially, that doesn’t necessarily mean another GP special.

Instead, Mini appears to be exploring a broader definition of performance.

One clue comes from the brand’s collaboration with fashion and motorcycle culture icon Deus Ex Machina. The resulting concepts—the Skeg and the Machina—featured exaggerated bodywork, larger tires, and a more rebellious visual attitude than today’s production JCW models.

The overwhelmingly positive reaction hasn’t gone unnoticed.

If toned-down production versions emerge, they could give JCW products a distinct identity beyond merely adding horsepower and red accents.

The timing is certainly favorable. JCW sales reached a record 25,630 units last year, representing nearly 60 percent growth over the previous year. Markets such as the UK, Japan, and Australia have proven particularly receptive to Mini’s performance offerings, giving the company confidence to push further.

What About the Rocketman?

For years, enthusiasts have pleaded for Mini to build something closer in size to Alec Issigonis’s original 1959 masterpiece.

Concepts such as the Rocketman promised exactly that—a genuinely compact city car that captured the spirit of the original better than any modern Mini. Yet despite repeated waves of enthusiasm, the project has never reached production.

Hampf understands the appeal. He openly admires concepts such as the Rocketman, Urbanaut, and Superleggera. But admiration doesn’t automatically create a viable business case.

That’s the challenge facing Mini today.

Consumers continue to gravitate toward larger vehicles, not smaller ones. While ultra-compact urban mobility solutions may thrive in select cities, global demand still favors practicality, comfort, and versatility. A tiny Mini might excite enthusiasts, but excitement alone rarely pays development bills.

Hampf isn’t closing the door entirely. He’s simply acknowledging that nostalgia must coexist with commercial reality.

Looking Toward the 2030s

Beyond the upcoming facelifts, development work has already begun on Mini’s next-generation products.

Those vehicles are unlikely to arrive before the early 2030s, but they will ultimately define Hampf’s legacy. For now, the immediate challenge is refining a lineup that is already one of the broadest in Mini’s history.

The coming refreshes won’t radically reinvent the brand. Instead, they appear designed to sharpen its identity, reinforce its strengths, and explore new niches—from rugged lifestyle variants to more distinctive performance models.

In an automotive world where many legacy brands are struggling to define themselves, Mini’s approach feels refreshingly straightforward.

Protect the Cooper. Expand the possibilities. And never stop experimenting.

For a company built on a small car that changed automotive history, that sounds like a surprisingly big plan.

Source: Autocar

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Peugeot’s Next-Gen EV Offensive Begins as Stellantis Commits €1 Billion to France

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Stellantis is putting serious money behind Peugeot’s future. The automaker announced today that it will invest more than €1 billion ($1.1 billion) in France to develop and build three new Peugeot models based on its upcoming STLA One architecture, a next-generation platform designed to underpin both electric and hybrid vehicles.

The three new C-segment models—Europe’s automotive sweet spot—will enter production at Stellantis’ Mulhouse plant in eastern France beginning in 2029. While the company stopped short of revealing body styles or model names, the announcement offers one of the clearest looks yet at how Stellantis intends to execute its ambitious FaSTLAne 2030 strategy.

Peugeot Leads the Charge

Among Stellantis’ sprawling portfolio of brands, Peugeot has emerged as one of the group’s most strategically important players. The French marque will become the first Stellantis brand to launch vehicles based on the STLA One platform, effectively serving as the proving ground for technology that will eventually spread across the company’s global operations.

STLA One represents a significant departure from today’s vehicle architectures. Designed as a highly modular and scalable platform, it can accommodate multiple vehicle sizes and powertrain configurations while simplifying development and manufacturing processes. Stellantis says the architecture targets a 20-percent improvement in cost efficiency through greater standardization and economies of scale.

That’s a critical objective as automakers navigate the expensive transition toward electrification while attempting to keep vehicle prices competitive.

Betting Big on the C-Segment

If there is one segment worth fighting for in Europe, it’s the C-segment. Accounting for roughly 30 percent of all passenger-car sales across the continent, it remains the heart of the European market despite the industry’s ongoing shift toward crossovers and SUVs.

By introducing three new electric and hybrid models in this category, Stellantis is strengthening Peugeot’s presence where the volumes are highest and where competition is fiercest. The move also aligns with the company’s broader European strategy of expanding market coverage while maintaining profitability.

Although Stellantis hasn’t disclosed technical specifications, the flexibility of the STLA One platform suggests the upcoming models could span multiple body styles, potentially including hatchbacks, crossovers, and fastback variants.

Securing Mulhouse’s Future

The investment isn’t just about new vehicles—it’s also about securing the future of one of Stellantis’ most important French manufacturing facilities.

The Mulhouse plant, which employs approximately 4,500 workers, has long been a cornerstone of Peugeot production. Bringing three next-generation vehicles to the facility provides long-term visibility during a period when many European factories face uncertainty as the industry pivots toward electrified vehicles.

For Stellantis, the project demonstrates an effort to combine electrification with domestic industrial production rather than shifting manufacturing elsewhere. The company says the investment will improve capacity utilization at the site while reinforcing France’s role within its global manufacturing network.

Government Support Plays a Role

Stellantis also credited French and European industrial policies for helping create the conditions necessary for the investment. The company specifically highlighted incentives supporting clean-vehicle adoption and broader “Made-in-Europe” initiatives aimed at strengthening regional manufacturing competitiveness.

As European governments increasingly seek to counter growing competition from Chinese automakers while accelerating the transition to zero-emission transportation, investments like this are becoming central to the continent’s industrial strategy.

A Glimpse of Stellantis’ Future

Speaking from the Mulhouse facility, Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa described the decision as a reflection of both the company’s long-term strategy and the capabilities of its French workforce.

More importantly, the announcement provides a tangible example of what FaSTLAne 2030 looks like in practice: fewer, more flexible platforms; greater manufacturing efficiency; and a renewed emphasis on global scale combined with local production.

The first STLA One-based Peugeot won’t arrive for several years, but today’s announcement makes one thing clear: Stellantis is betting that the future of Europe’s volume car market will be built in France—and powered increasingly by electrons.

Source: Stellantis