This is Skoda’s long-awaited family-sized, 7-seat SUV, previewed in official pictures of the near-production concept that the Czech manufacturer will unveil at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show next month. The first official images of the car follow on from a series of design sketched and teasers.
The ŠKODA VisionS incorporates the brand’s new design language, carrying it over into the SUV segment: the design is clearly influenced by Czech Cubism and the tradition of Bohemian crystal art. The lines are precise, sharp and clean-cut; the distinctive interplay of light and shadow on the contoured surfaces creates exciting effects, which are accentuated by the Island-Green color.
With a 2.79-meter wheelbase, at 4.70 meters long, 1.91 meters wide and 1.68 meters tall, the ŠKODA VisionS makes a bold statement on the road. Based on the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB), this is ŠKODA’s first vehicle to feature six seats across three rows.
Another highlight of the concept vehicle is its plug-in hybrid drive: with 165 kW (225 hp), the show car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.4 seconds with a top speed of almost 200 km/h. 1.9 litres of petrol is all the car needs to travel 100 km (45 grams CO2 per kilometre). The ŠKODA VisionS can go up to 50 km on electric alone, and will travel up to 1000 km with both systems combined.
The internal combustion engine is a 1.4 TSI with 115 kW (156 hp) and 250 Nm of torque. This works alongside an e-motor that provides 40 kW of continuous power and 220 Nm peak torque. It is integrated into the six-speed DSG, which directs the power to the front wheels. A second electric motor with up to 85 kW and 270 Nm of torque drives the rear axle. This works independently of the front axle drive, meaning the show car has a smart four-wheel drive, which requires no mechanical coupling. The three engines cooperate in a highly flexible manner: The driver of the ŠKODA VisionS can choose between several modes of operation – from purely electric drive to charge modes, always with the goal of maximum efficiency. The lithium-ion battery with a 12.4kWh capacity is positioned in front of the rear axle.
ŠKODA has responded to the rapidly growing scope of information and the passengers’ desire to communicate by introducing automotive digital networking (mobile services), providing large displays for optimum vehicle and infotainment services for all passengers, who can connect to the network several ways from each seat in the vehicle.