Skoda has unveiled the 7-seater, all-electric Vision 7S SUV concept, which previews many firsts, including its new logo and the Modern Solid design language, making it to production by 2026.
Klaus Zellmer, who was recently appointed as CEO of Skoda, described the Vision 7S concept as an ‘entirely new’ proposition for the Czech carmaker, as it showcases a radical new design language referred to as ‘Modern Solid’. The design language features strong vertical elements, curved surfaces and minimal cuts and creases. This is a departure from Skoda’s current designs, which have a myriad of folds and cuts, and make the cars difficult and expensive to produce.
Another thing that is new is the face of new Skoda cars — the new nose is devoid of a traditional grille or frame. The lack of a formal grille in the design language has been done to make it ready for the electrified or electric age, where a large opening in the bonnet — where an engine would have sat — is not strictly required.
With the new ‘grille’, upcoming Skodas will also get interestingly detailed T-shaped headlights and tail-lights.
Skoda also previewed a new look for the cabin, where the new steering wheel and central boss design is oval in shape, the interiors are clean and devoid of buttons, and the Vision 7S also previews a large central touchscreen that can either be used in portrait or landscape position.
The most interesting part, however, is the position of the central rear-facing child seat positioned in what traditionally forms a blank space.
The Vision 7S concept has a claimed WLTP range of over 600km, courtesy of an 89kWh battery that can be charged at speeds of up to 200kW. The production version of this concept will be among the final models from the Volkswagen Group to use the modular MEB platform, which will be phased out from 2025, before the switch to the Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) architecture. The new 7-seater EV SUV will effectively serve as the electric alternative to the Skoda Kodiaq, and is likely to sit higher in the model line-up.
Skoda recently imported a few units of the Enyaq iV SUV in India for testing, and the company aims to launch it in India sometime next year as a fully imported unit.
