You may have heard about the Skoda Karoq already its the replacement for the Yeti. The Karoq is a more refined design – inside and out – than the distinctive and impossibly quirky looking Yeti. The Yeti is dead long live the Karoq. Skoda want to increase the number of cars it sells, more cars sold mean more profits and happy shareholders / stakeholders. It’s purely business and the Karoq marks the beginning of a determined sales drive. Skoda are doing what comes naturally to them making cars that people no longer have to feel ashamed of owning. The Karoq is a grown up response to the booming SUV market. Skoda anticipate the Yeti’s successor to boost annual sales from 1.13 million to 1.5 million units. The Karoq will come equipped with a familiar engine lineup featuring two petrol and three diesel units. The new VW stock 1.5-litre TSi engine include’s cylinder deactivation to reduce emissions and fuelconsumption. Four wheel drive will be offered to top spec diesel models. With a flexible seating system the Karoq has three rear folding seats which can also be removed and the front passenger seat can also be folded down to enable the transportation of longer items. Like many modern cars the Karoq will offer the latest connectivity features to include a WiFi hotspot, MirrorLink and Android and Apple Carplay. The Karoq options list includes driver assist features such as Lane warning departure, radar guided cruise control and the automated Park Pilot. Skoda haven’t given an exact date when the Karoq will go on sale other than saying retail sales will commence in the second half of the year, around June. Because the Karoq is based on the VW Tiguan platform it will be bigger than the model it replaces but it will still fit under the compact SUV monkier. Pricing is speculative at this point in time, however industry rumours suggest entry level Karoq models could start at around £20k. The truth is at this early stage the Karoq is just at the press release stage which means Skoda can court a good deal of publicity. The proof is always when you eat the pudding.