New Skoda Octavia: a guided tour of its concept car twin
An exclusive meeting with Skoda’s design chief and his Vision O concept reveals lots about the next Octavia
Skoda’s Vision O concept is a big deal, so big it’s taken over London’s Design Museum. The concept was in town, along with head of design Oliver Stefani, for an audience with Skoda’s UK retailers – and Auto Express. We gatecrashed for some exclusive face time with the design chief and the concept that showcases eight ideas for the next-generation Octavia – and all Skodas out to 2030, and beyond.
1. The next Octavia will go pure electric
So far, an electric Octavia has been a pipedream, with the first four Skoda EVs – Enyaq, Elroq, and next year’s baby Epiq and the as-yet-unnamed seven-seater based on the Vision 7S concept – all SUVs of varying sizes.
The production version of the Vision O will change that. Originally planned to share the MEB electric architecture underpinning the Enyaq and VW ID.7, Skoda has pushed back the zero-emissions Octavia to the Volkswagen Group’s upcoming SSP platform, unlocking next-level EV technology. Superior range, faster charging, the Vision O’s new digital cockpit and more powerful autonomous driving capabilities will all feature – but it pushes the on-sale date closer to the end of the decade.
2. Aerodynamic Octavia ‘kombi’ estate will look like this
Fun fact: Skoda is Europe’s biggest seller of estate cars (or ‘kombis’ as they’re known in Germany). “The Octavia kombi is the heart of the brand: it’s very, very important for [fleet and private customers],” explains Stefani. “That’s why we wanted to give a sign that we’re thinking about the kombi segment in the future.”
Its design is incredibly clean and aerodynamically honed to maximise EV range, says Oliver Stefani. “Fleet customers [need] long-range: it’s our goal to deliver that.” So the clean sides help smooth air flow like a dolphin’s streamlined shape, before the concave rear helps chop off the air to reduce drag. Stefani references the ‘coda tronca’ – cut tail – design trend of 1960s Alfas and Zagatos as inspiration.
3. Wider for better proportions and more space
The 4.8m-long Vision O is longer than today’s Octavia but a touch shorter than the flagship Superb; tellingly it’s wider than both. “We made the car a little bit wider because we believe in good proportions,” explains Stefani. “It’s also to convince our people – the finance guys and the engineers – that we need these proportions to be competitive.”
That will involve a lot of horse-trading across multiple brands and stakeholders: the Scalable Systems Platform will underpin Skodas, Volkswagens, Audis and Cupras up to Porsches, Lamborghinis and Bentleys in its most premium modules.
The statuesque look is enhanced by 21-inch alloy wheels: “we always say one inch bigger for a show car, or one inch lower [ride height],” is the Stefani blueprint. But the Vision O actually stands slightly higher than today’s Skoda kombis, a function of having to package the battery and preserve headroom. The boot swallows a generous 650 litres of cargo.
4. Next-generation digital interior
Step into the high-set driver’s seat and you look down on a shelf-like dashtop blessed with calming simplicity. Crowning it is a wide digital strip of information, the Horizon Display, which occupants can customise with their preferred functions and readouts: it’s similar to the new BMW iX3 production car’s.
The car is operated by the upright touchscreen, a rotary controller or AI-powered voice interactions, along with physical air-con switches. Doesn’t this proliferation buck the trend of stripping out switches? “You will never eliminate physical switches. That's my opinion,” says Stefani. His argument is that voice manipulation of every seat position-nudge or temperature-toggle would cause noise pollution and irritation.
There’s a big emphasis on sustainable materials, including knitted seat covers made of a single recycled yarn to ease re-use. “We see this cockpit, design-wise and technically, is really something for the next generation,” promises the head of design.
5. This is the next wave of Modern Solid
The Elroq electric car ushered in Skoda’s current design language, termed ‘Modern Solid’. Its inverted bonnet ‘bulge’ and glossy black ‘Tech Deck’ grille panel – housing the Driver Assistance radar and camera – are retained by Vision O, with the ribs of vertical light reminiscent of combustion Skodas’ grilles.
But it’s the minimalist surfacing that really takes Modern Solid to the next level: the Epiq and Vision 7S’s in-and-out shoulder lines are purged, though their subtle, square wheelarches remain.
“I will not say they’re over-decorated, but they have some lines,” points out Stefani. “But in the future, we will go much more simple, and with the Vision O we really did the most we could. So the side section [has] just one line with a turning point, then nothing: [it’s] totally clean.”
Skoda unveiled the concept at the Munich show and CEO Klaus Zellmer and Sefani were on tenterhooks awaiting the public feedback. “What was really nice [is] that people accept this as a Skoda, even [though] it’s changed quite a lot. The front and the rear, people still connect this to our brand.”
6. But has Skoda gone too clean, too radical?
The minimalist design looks so upmarket it could be the work of a premium brand: does this signal Skoda trying to reposition itself? “We’re not talking about premium!” shoots back Stefani, sounding offended.
“It’s our job to elevate the value of our brand. [But] Skoda makes value for money. It does not cost a fortune to make it like this, it’s pure design. We’re not aiming for premium but we want the cars to look modern, valuable, desirable.”
It’s a formula that’s made Skoda Europe’s third best-selling car brand, overtaking BMW in 2025.
7. Will the production sideglass really look like that?
‘Flush glazing’ that sits level with the bodysides and eliminates window seals is an aesthetic popularised by Range Rovers – and now Skoda is at it. Combining it with the white-coloured side pillar creates an eye-catching side graphic, which Stefani says intentionally harks back to the late noughties Yeti SUV and Roomster MPV.
Will the production car have flush glazing? “We have to dream sometimes,” says Stefani. “But flush glazing is something that plays also on simplicity and I hope we can achieve this – that's the goal.”
8. It will shape the design of future combustion Skodas
Skoda had been expecting to start phasing out internal combustion engine models, but the slower transition to electric has caused a sharp revision of the product plan. Cars such as the Fabia supermini, Scala hatchback and Kamiq SUV will continue past 2030, but all will require design revisions to keep them modern and prevent a two-tier range.
“I’m convinced that, design-wise, we have to connect EV cars with the ICE cars in the future,” reveals Stefani. “With our theme it’s possible. We did the exercise already and I think it’s quite successful.”
The design team ran a show where the top brass assessed the entire portfolio to 2030. “I saw the cars next to each other outside. [We are] convinced that they will work and that the customers will see this. [The range] looks very modern and very consistent. And this is important: we should not have two lines.”
It means the Vision O isn’t just significant for the next Skoda Octavia kombi. It’s a design statement that will shape all future Skodas, right out to the end of the decade.
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