Skoda Enyaq 'Races' Electric Airplane In Zero-Emissions Duel On Land And Air

Every now and then, Skoda's marketing department appears to be taking a page out of Top Gear’s book to fuel its creative process. After landing a helicopter on top of a Kodiaq last year, another form of air transportation shares the camera with one of the company's SUVs. This time around, an electric airplane has been pitted against the Enyaq iV.

 The "duel" reminds us of an old Top Gear episode from 2005 when the Bugatti Veyron driven by Jeremy Clarkson raced a Cessna 182. The major difference here stems from the lack of conventional powertrains as the Pipistrel Velis Electro doesn’t have a piston engine while the Enyaq (sadly) lacks a W16 with quad turbos and a gigantic 8.0-liter displacement.

The idea behind Skoda's new video is to show times are changing and zero-emissions mobility is available on both land and air. The Enyaq iV represents the company’s first dedicated EV while the Pipistrel Velis Electro is the world’s first EASA type-certified electric passenger airplane. For those unfamiliar with the EASA acronym, it stands for European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

The Czech marque points out both are cheaper to operate than their traditionally powered siblings while being substantially quieter and smoother to fly and drive, respectively. The Slovenian light airplane with its 21-kWh battery has a flight time of around 45 minutes between charges while the SUV can cover up to 331 miles per WLTP thanks to an 82-kWh pack.

On January 31, Skoda will expand the Enyaq iV lineup to include a "coupe" version as a sister model of the Volkswagen ID.5 and Audi Q4 Sportback E-Tron. It will be the most aerodynamic of the lot courtesy of a drag coefficient lowered to 0.234. A high-performance RS version should follow shortly to mirror the ID.5 GTX with its dual motors, all-wheel drive, and about 300 horsepower.

 Three additional EVs will be launched by the end of the decade and all of them will be cheaper than the Enyaq. An entry-level city car to replace the Citigo-e iV will likely be molded after VW’s ID. Life concept, while an electric equivalent of the best-selling Octavia is only a matter of time. A smaller crossover positioned below the Enyaq seems like a solid possibility.