?koda CEO, Klaus Zellmer, on touchscreens, cheap EVs and ?koda’s bright future

February 10,2024 Mladá Boleslav Steve Fowler, Auto Express

• ?koda is on the up and a clutch of new models due in the coming years will drive its switch to electric, including a sub-20,000 Euro EV.

?koda is currently breaking new sales records across Europe, moving up to the seventh biggest car make in the region last year, while sales in the UK jumped over 40 per cent in 2023 giving the brand a record market share. There’s much more to come, with new Superb and Kodiaq models recently unveiled, the new Octavia, the Elroq EV due later this year and a bigger electric car, based on the 7S Concept, due in 2026, plus more small ?kodas on the horizon.

So when Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer asked if we wanted to go for a drive and talk all things Skoda, we jumped at the chance. With us piloting Zellmer in the very latest Enyaq we talked about everything from more affordable EV to how Skoda will deal with tech in its new models. Zellmer and his team also showed us how the brand will be taking tech into the showroom, with the use of touchscreens and video walls, and into your pocket with the latest iteration of ?koda’s app.

Q&A: Klaus Zellmer, ?koda CEO

What makes ?koda different?

“?koda is all about functions; it has to work, it has to be intuitive, with huge space for luggage and for passengers. You should feel comfortable – it's more family oriented. It's your companion and it's not your buddy for racing. You can go fast as well, look at this car with 300 horsepower and all-wheel drive, but you don't have to and if you don't want to, it's a casual ride that provides everything you need.”

If ?koda is about function, how should a Skoda touchscreen integrate in the car?

“Skoda has never gone flat out on digitising everything. We've always stuck to certain buttons that you want to press and something happens immediately without taking your eyes off the road. If you now look at the new Superb and Kodiaq, we combined the two worlds because you have the smart dials, which are super intuitive. They're more clever than conventional buttons, but they're not over-engineered, easy to understand. This has always been our philosophy and we're going to stick to that.”

Will owners of future ?koda EVs get a different experience in their cars?

“I'm convinced it's a combination because some buttons that you press and something happens immediately just make more sense than a menu or some artificial intelligence that realises you have a certain preference for a certain temperature at a certain time of day – I think that's taking it too far.

Source and Full Interview:

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/

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