The Skoda Vision O Concept is the electric Octavia we’ve been waiting for

Skoda has a long heritage with estate cars, and it actually leads the segment in Europe with its Octavia and Superb models. But now it’s showing how the humble wagon can be forward-thinking, with the new Vision O concept car.

The Vision O takes some classic Skoda design cues, blends them with the firm’s new ‘Modern Solid’ design and adds in a whole load of trademark ‘Simply Clever’ features. While it doesn’t directly preview a production model, we can be fairly confident that it’ll inspire an eventual electric Octavia.

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Skoda Vision O concept: exterior and interior design

In keeping with most concept cars, the Vision O gets a minimalist and distinctive style – but one that’s still recognisable as a Skoda. Features like the double crease on the bonnet, ‘mustache’ grille and c-shaped LED lights at the rear blend with the latest Skoda design cues which we’ve seen on the new Epiq SUV.

The overall effect is pretty classy, and if you split the difference between Skoda’s current cars and the Vision O you can see how some of these styling features would work on a production model.

The interior follows a similar trend – majoring on simplicity. The traditional instrument display has been replaced with a full-width screen just at the base of the windscreen – named the Skoda Horizon display, it’s more than 1.2m long and reminds us of the Panoramic iDrive display on the latest BMW iX3.

For infotainment purposes, a portrait-oriented display sits in the centre, backed up by a few physical switches – these will no doubt use a similar multifunction setup to the ones on Skoda’s current Superb and Kodiaq.

The interior’s also packed with ‘Simply Clever’ features – as if Skoda owners would let the company get away without them. There’s an umbrella concealed in every door, dedicated storage for charging cables in the boot, magnetic wireless charging docks and an integrated screen cleaner.

New additions that may not make production are the portable Bluetooth speaker and the integrated fridge.

Being a Skoda, space is at the forefront of things. The 4.85m-long Vision O provides loads of rear legroom and a 650-litre boot – 10 litres more than the present Octavia Estate.

Sustainability is also a major factor. Cabin materials are made of recycled or recyclable materials, such as custom-knitted seat covers made from recycled PES and ultrasuede made with 65% plant-based content. Even the flooring is made from recycled leather scraps.

Skoda Vision O concept: tech and driving

Skoda promises ‘advanced autonomous driving capabilities’ for the Vision O concept as well as an evolution of its voice assistant (Laura). Skoda reckons the Vision O will be able to ‘manage all driving tasks independently, except challenging conditions’ – but it’s easy to say that sort of thing when a car’s never going to make production.

More likely to affect real motorists before long is Skoda’s new AI-powered digital assistant. Still named Laura, new features include the ability to take notes on meetings, share information about the surroundings you’re driving through, or telling stories for passengers.

Laura also powers the Skoda Vision O app, which can configure the car’s seats according to what the owner needs to carry. A new route-planning system is also AI-powered, using Google Gemini to improve planning stops – especially for charging.

Skoda hasn’t revealed just what powers the Vision O, or what sort of range users can expect to get from a full charge.

Skoda Vision O concept: when can I buy one?

You can’t – and probably won’t ever be able to, but like a lot of concept cars the Vision O could preview a new production model not too far in the future. Skoda has committed to electrifying its range just like the rest of its Volkswagen Group parent company, and if it wants to maintain its leadership in estate cars then an electric estate ought to be on the cards.

The Volkswagen Group currently sells three electric estate cars – the Volkswagen ID7 Tourer, the Audi A6 Avant e-tron and the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo.

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