Škoda Epiq enters production in Spain

Series production of the Škoda Epiq, the Czech brand's most affordable all-electric model, began on 8 June at the Volkswagen Navarra plant in Pamplona, northern Spain. It is the first Škoda vehicle ever to be built on Spanish soil, and only the second model in Škoda's current European portfolio to be manufactured outside its home Czech plants, following the current-generation Superb. For a brand whose manufacturing identity has long been anchored in Mladá Boleslav, Pamplona represents a deliberate expansion of industrial logic.

A historic first for Škoda Auto

The decision to produce the Epiq in Spain is not simply a matter of geography, but reflects a considered allocation of resources across Volkswagen's Brand Group Core (BGC), encompassing Škoda, Volkswagen and CUPRA. All four models within the BGC's Electric Urban Car Family will now be produced at Spanish plants, creating concentrated manufacturing synergies that reduce unit costs and streamline supplier logistics. By exporting production of the Epiq to Navarra, Škoda Auto preserves capacity at its own facilities for higher-demand models elsewhere in the range.

Klaus Zellmer, CEO of Škoda Auto, framed the moment in terms that go beyond the factory floor. "Launching production of the new Škoda Epiq is a historic moment. With the momentum of Brand Group Core behind it, we're making fully electric driving more reachable than ever – great value for money, designed for real life, and ready to welcome new customers, including those who want something a step above. Over the past years, Enyaq and Elroq have reached record sales across Europe – proof that progress can be both inspiring and accessible."

Inside the Navarra plant's transformation

The Volkswagen Navarra facility, founded in 1965 and integrated into the Volkswagen Group in 1984, has manufactured more than ten million vehicles over its lifetime. Its nearly 5,000-strong workforce currently produces over 1,400 cars per day. Until now, Navarra's output has been confined to combustion-engine Volkswagen models, the Taigo and the T-Cross. The Epiq marks a structural shift in that programme, with the all-electric Volkswagen ID. Cross set to follow on the same line.

The plant shares a key operational characteristic with Škoda Auto's facility in Mladá Boleslav: the ability to assemble combustion-engine and all-electric vehicles on the same production line. That flexibility is not incidental. As OEMs navigate uneven demand curves across powertrains, mixed-line capability offers a hedge against forecast risk that dedicated EV lines cannot provide.

Volkswagen Navarra is being upgraded to build both ICEs and BEVs

Andreas Dick, Škoda Auto's Board Member for Production and Logistics, underlined the broader manufacturing rationale. "The Epiq is the first Škoda model ever to be produced in Spain. This step highlights the strength and adaptability of our production network. By efficiently balancing capacity across the Volkswagen Group, we can support the ramp-up of key electric models while maintaining high production quality and competitive costs – all of which directly benefit our customers."

Why the entry-level segment matters

Priced at around €26,000 ($30,000), the Epiq enters a segment where volume and accessibility define success. It is the most affordable model in Škoda's electric range and represents the brand's clearest attempt yet to convert mass-market combustion-engine buyers into EV customers.

With compact external dimensions but a generous interior, it is designed for urban and peri-urban use without sacrificing the practicality that Škoda's customer base has historically demanded.

A range of advanced safety and driver assistance features is available, including technologies drawn from higher vehicle classes. Buyers can choose from multiple battery configurations and power outputs spanning 85 to 155 kW, with a maximum range of around 440 kilometres. That breadth of configuration, across a single entry-level nameplate, is itself a statement about where the market is heading.

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MEB+ and the Modern Solid design language

The Epiq is the first Škoda model to be built on Volkswagen's updated MEB+ platform, which offers structural improvements over the original MEB architecture used across the Group's earlier electric vehicles. It is also the first Škoda to fully embody the brand's Modern Solid design language, a visual identity that prioritises geometric clarity and material honesty over the softer, more expressionistic aesthetic of earlier generations.

The Epiq celebrated its world premiere in Zurich, Switzerland on 19 May, less than three weeks before production commenced in Pamplona. That compressed timeline between public reveal and series build is itself indicative of the strategic urgency Škoda attaches to the model's market entry.

Doubling the electric portfolio in 2026

The Epiq arrives alongside the forthcoming Peaq, and together the two models are expected to double Škoda's all-electric line-up before the year is out. That ambition sits within a broader Group-level push to accelerate electrification across the BGC's constituent brands, with the Electric Urban Car Family serving as its most publicly visible instrument. For Škoda, the Epiq is not merely an additional SKU. It is an argument that electric mobility need not carry a premium price, and that the entry-level segment is no longer a concession made to volume, but an arena in which serious product strategy is now fought out.