Peaq enters production, sharing the line with the Octavia

Škoda Auto has launched series production of the new Peaq electric SUV. What makes it interesting is that the brand’s largest model to date is produced on the same assembly line as three other siblings: the internal combustion-engined Octavia and the electric Elroq and Enyaq models. This required precise planning and extensive preparation.

6. 8. 2026 eMobility

“The Peaq model has been integrated into assembly lines that manufacture both internal combustion vehicles and electric vehicles,” says Ondřej Novotný from the production planning department. He is referring to the solution implemented by Škoda Auto at its main plant in Mladá Boleslav. It enables the production of three different electric vehicles on a single line, alongside a model powered by an internal combustion engine.

The goal is to achieve maximum flexibility and production efficiency across all models following the start of production of the latest SUV, the Peaq, which was added to the Mladá Boleslav line in August this year. Before this could happen, intensive long-term preparations were required, covering not only the vehicle itself but, above all, the entire manufacturing process.

Everything is bigger

One interesting aspect of the Peaq is that this version of the MEB platform had previously been used by the Volkswagen Group only in China. Škoda therefore had to prepare for production of this variant entirely on its own. Among other things, this means that, in addition to body panels produced in its press shop, the company also manufactures two sections of the MEB platform rear floor assembly. Work on preparing the press tools began in mid-2024.

The body shop and paint shop lines also required modifications, as the Peaq joined the range of vehicles already being produced there. The most significant work was carried out during the summer of 2025, when production lines are traditionally shut down during the company-wide holiday period. “The biggest challenge in implementing the body shop concept was meeting the timeline for the integration of the Peaq model, as the issue of overall electric vehicle production capacity was being addressed at the same time,” says Novotný.

What has changed:

● New press tooling and the pressing of the front and rear sections of the platform floor assembly
● A completely new body flow in the body shop, where the Peaq has been added as an additional model
● Modifications to conveyors and handling equipment in the paint shop
● Modifications to handling equipment and conveyors on the assembly line (increased load capacity and spacing)
● A new handling unit for the third row of seats on the assembly line
● Extended conveyor positions on the assembly line

As the Peaq is approximately 20 centimetres longer than the Enyaq, previously the largest vehicle produced in Mladá Boleslav, handling equipment and conveyors in the paint shop and on the main assembly line required modification. “The body-in-white alone is 20 kilograms heavier than that of the Enyaq, and the largest available battery is heavier as well, which also necessitated the appropriate adjustments,” explains Novotný.

During this year’s company-wide holiday shutdown, it was necessary to extend the so-called skids – the conveyor positions on which vehicles move through the production flow. “However, we had already started building trial vehicles before this modification was implemented, so we had to create sufficient spacing on the line beforehand. This was achieved by placing the Elroq, which is the smallest model produced here, ahead of the Peaq on the line,” explains Roman Kira from the production department.

A new handling unit for installing the second and third rows of seats has also been added to the assembly line. Previously, this equipment had not been required. At the same time, the technology enabling the installation of internal combustion powertrain components and related parts into the Octavia remains in place. As a result, the line is highly versatile.

Preparations on all fronts

Even before the first modifications were made to the assembly lines, prototype vehicles were being assembled literally bolt by bolt in the prototype workshop. This was followed by the first vehicles built in the Pre-Series Production Centre (Škoda’s VSC facility). Specialists from the main assembly line gradually familiarised themselves with the manufacturing process of the new model there and subsequently passed their experience on to other colleagues.

Taken together, all these changes demonstrate how demanding the preparation of a new model for production really is. It requires intensive cooperation between a large number of people and departments and affects processes and solutions that have long been established and considered complete. Thanks to these efforts, however, the Peaq, as the brand’s flagship model, can now be produced at home in Mladá Boleslav.