Skoda Enyaq RS Race is a track-ready electric show-off

Skoda has revealed the Enyaq RS Race – a motorsport concept based on the sportiest version of its popular family SUV.

Lower, wider, lighter and quicker, the Enyaq RS Race was developed by Skoda Motorsport to showcase the performance potential of the car, as well as demonstrate technologies that could filter down to production models.

The car uses the same 335bhp powertrain as the road-going Enyaq Coupe vRS but features a wealth of motorsport technology to improve its performance. Compared with the regular car, the RS Race is 70mm lower, 72mm wider at the front, and 116mm wider at the rear. It’s also a lot more aggressive looking thanks to redesigned bodywork including new front and rear bumpers, a massive rear spoiler and diffuser and unique 20-inch alloys.

Aerodynamic tweaks to the exterior improve the car’s handling, backed up by a sports suspension system that replaces the regular DCC setup with a fully adjustable setup that allows for individual adjustments to spring stiffness, compression, and rebound settings. There’s also been a major upgrade to the brakes, with carbon-ceramic discs, ten-piston callipers at the front, four-piston callipers at the rear and a new brake cooling system. This all-electric concept also gets a hydraulic handbrake like its Fabia RS Rally2 sibling.

Although the motor’s output remains unchanged, Skoda has tweaked the drive ratio for a more responsive feel. The top speed remains 112mph but the 0-62mph time has dropped from 5.5 seconds to less than five seconds.

That’s largely thanks to 316kg of weight saving which has been achieved by stripping out the interior and the widespread use of lightweight sustainable materials. Hinting at how new materials could be applied to production vehicles, biocomposite parts incorporating flax fibres have been used extensively in the bodywork and interior – from the bumpers to the dashboard. These are not only lighter than traditional materials but also save on raw materials and production costs as well as cutting manufacturing-related CO2 emissions by up to 85%.

Johannes Neft, Skoda board member for technical development, said: “Based on the Enyaq Coupé vRS production model, the car features a distinctive design with strong racing DNA, enhanced aerodynamics and excellent acceleration.

“In terms of sustainable solutions, the new concept car also serves as a pilot project for future innovations in series production. The biocomposite parts have led to a significant weight reduction, and we are trialling them in motorsport, including in the current Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, with a view to future implementation.”