- Skoda debuted electric Vision O compact wagon at the Munich Auto Show.
- Ignore the rear-hinged rear doors and you’re looking at the next Octavia.
- A cousin of 2028’s VW ID. Golf, the Octavia will ride on VW’s SSP platform.
After a slow start, Skoda has fully embraced the SUV body style, but the brand’s new Vision O concept proves it still believes in the traditional Octavia wagon. The low-slung compact previews a production Octavia due by 2028, which is a close cousin of the upcoming VW ID. Golf.
Related: Skoda’s Smallest Electric SUV Comes With Gas-Car Pricing
Like the ID. Golf, the Octavia is going electric, and the Vision O’s long-roof form tells us it’ll be available in practical wagon guise as well as a fastback. Why is Skoda bothering with either car in these SUV-crazed times? Because the current Octavia is the brand’s best selling model and a major cash-cow.
Design That Stands Apart
Skoda’s designers have applied the company’s latest Modern Solid design language to the Vision O and although some of concept’s flourishes – like the rear-hinged rear doors and 3D-printed honeycomb headrests – are pure auto show theatrics, what you see here is mostly what you’ll get in a Skoda dealer in three years’ time.
The prominent body-color B pillar that extends from rear door’s skin reminds us of DS Automobiles’ work and there are hints of Opel Astra about the blocky shapes. Even so, the flat-faced, square-shaped fenders, blacked-out C-pillar and concave rear end with its Skoda lettering picked out in LEDs, plus the aggressive tech-loop nose, give this Vision O way more presence that any production Octavia ever had.
Tech-Heavy Interior
If the O looks confident on the outside, it looks even more premium on the inside. Instead of a traditional instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, there’s a 1.2-m (47.2 inches) Horizon Display stretching almost the full width of the car at the base of the windshield.
That’s backed up by a portrait-layout tablet touchscreen floating proud of the dashboard and above a console fitted with dual charging trays and a rotary mode controller that offers haptic feedback. And if you’re too lazy to twiddle a dial, the Laura AI voice-activate digital assistant can handle some of those same tasks.
At 4,850 mm (190.9 inches) long, the concept is 152 mm (6 inches) longer than today’s production Octavia wagon, but still smaller than the Superb flagship. The huge trunk swallows 650 liters (CCC cu-ft) of family junk or salesman’s paraphernalia with the seats up – and that’s not where the practical touches end. In addition to a portable Bluetooth speaker and integrated fridge, the concept has four umbrellas.
New Octavia EV with Rivian Tech?
Whether those features will make it to the production car in 2027 or 2028, and what kind of power output and range figures the SSP platform can deliver, Skoda isn’t saying. But reports say we should expect 800-volt charging tech and advanced software developed with Rivian. And you can bank on Skoda rolling out a hot vRS version with even more attitude than this concept.
Skoda
