New Skoda Octavia Electric previewed by Vision O concept
Shadowy teaser reminds us that Skoda is looking to conquer the electric estate market
Skoda has been trotting out excellent estate cars for decades now, but the new Vision O concept shows the Czech firm is looking to enter the all-electric estate market.
This is our first official teaser of the Vision O, which is set to be unveiled at the Munich Motor Show in September. To ensure Skoda’s forthcoming electric estate car will be just as competitive as its internal combustion-engined alternatives when it goes into production, it’ll also be the first Skoda to use the Volkswagen Group’s new SSP architecture.
The new EV estate was originally due to be built on a lengthened version of the existing MEB platform. However, since we got an official look at the car with a design sculpture in 2023, Skoda has decided to use SSP for the electric estate.
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Skoda says the Vision O’s design will present “a consistent evolution of the Modern Solid design language” and it’ll feature “a sleek, distinctive silhouette”. The proportions look similar to the current Octavia Estate’s, although the rear window appears to be a little more raked. We can also see some of the car’s light signatures: the rears in particular look similar to those on the design study for Skoda’s upcoming small eletric car, the Epiq. We also expect to see some form of Skoda’s Tech-Deck front end that features on the facelifted Enyaq and new Elroq.
The company’s CEO, Klaus Zellmer, added: “The Vision O design study will highlight the future trajectory of estate models. It will position us to remain a major player in the estate segment.”
It’s not yet known if the Vision O previews an electric alternative to the Skoda Octavia Estate, the Superb Estate, or both, although the new model is said to be around 4.7 metres long. That puts it more in line with the current Octavia than the larger Superb, yet by capitalising on its cab-forward design, the upcoming EV has the potential to offer more interior space than both its combustion-powered counterparts.
The interior will share the exterior’s simplified and modernised aesthetic and could potentially incorporate a portrait-aspect central display, like the one seen in the 7S Concept. However, Skoda should continue with its Smart Dials layout and retain most of the physical dials and buttons – just as we’ve seen in the current Superb and Kodiaq.
We don’t expect the production version of the Vision O to go on sale for a few years – and Skoda may yet decide to extend the lifespan of its petrol and hybrid estates. That strategy could align with parent company Volkswagen’s Golf, the electric variant of which will sit on the same SSP architecture as the Skoda estate.
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