Skoda Kodiaq: spy video of new SUV on Nurburgring

Czech manufacturer Skoda will launch its largest model yet this year, the Kodiaq SUV.It?s going to be a seven-seat model expected to be revealed at this year?s Paris Motor Show. Until then, the Kodiaq is still being tested ? even at the challenging Nrburing race track ?, so that engineers complete final touches and last-minute checks before the car is unveiled as a final version for production. Considering that Skoda has already unveiled the Vision S Concept this year during a presentation and announced its production version will come by the end of 2016, it comes as a bit of a surprise that the prototype is still covered with a lot of camouflage on its body. But even with that it?s clearly visible that the front grille characteristic will be similar to that of recent launches in the Skoda range, and so are multiple shapes and traits which the Vision S Concept has already revealed. This is not the first time Skoda shows a concept car and then launches a production model that?s almost identical to it just months later. Skoda named its new SUV Kodiaq after extensive research. The Czech automaker discovered a place called Kodiak Island, which had native inhabitants called Alutiiq. They called the Kodiak bear, which has approximately 3,500 examples on the island, ?Taq uka aq,? where the ?q? at the end was typical for names of animals in the Alutiiq culture. Instead of publishing a press release on the topic, Skoda made a clever (pun intended) video where they changed the name of the town of Kodiak in the Gulf of Alaska for a day. The engine line-up will feature familiar VW Group motors, predicted to start with a 1.4-litre turbo petrol. The core motor will be diesel, though ? a 1.6 or 2.0-litre, in various states of tune, including the 237bhp twin-turbodiesel from the VW Passat. Front and four-wheel drive will be offered, along with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. There will also be a motorsport-influenced Sportline edition, and a Scout version with more body cladding and rugged styling. The Geneva concept also debuted a four-wheel drive petrol-electric hybrid powertrain; a 154-hp 1.4-litre petrol engine mated to a 54-hp electric motor and a six-speed DSG automatic gearbox. A second electric motor on the rear axle can provide a total 114 hp output, and when the two work in tandem with the engine the total powertrain output is 222 hp.It can reach 0-100 km/h in a claimed 7.4 seconds, but it emits just 45g/km of CO2. It can also travel on electric power solely for 50 kilometres. This means the production Kodiaq could feasibly offer the same set-up as the forthcoming VW Tigua GTE. However, it has yet to be confirmed for production. Iscrivetevi al nostro canale: https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=motorionlinetv Seguiteci su Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/motorionline/ Seguiteci su Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/motorionline/ - @motorionline Le nostre migliori foto su Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/motorionline/ - @motorionline Tutti gli aggiornamenti su Tumblr: http://motorionline.tumblr.com/