Europeans may be increasingly flocking to SUVs, but there are still plenty of wagons available in the continent – and Skoda has shown it has no intention of abandoning the body style.
The Vision O concept, revealed at the Munich motor show, shows what a wagon would look like with Skoda’s new Modern Solid design language, and its name hints at this show car specifically previewing an electric Octavia replacement.
Skoda says it has been the leader in the European wagon (or rather, ‘estate’) segment since 2016 thanks to its Octavia and Superb wagons, and it plans to “reinforce its leadership” with a production version of the Vision O concept.
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The Czech auto brand had already confirmed it would produce an electric Octavia wagon, but it was delayed last year and is now due for release in 2027 or 2028.
“The production vehicle of Vision O, based on a future platform of Volkswagen Group, is planned for the next decade,” the company has now said in its press release for the concept. That platform is likely the same one that will underpin the Mk9 Volkswagen Golf, called SSP.
The Vision O measures 4850mm long, 1900mm wide and 1500mm tall, which actually puts it between the current Octavia and Superb wagons in size.
There’s a generous 650 litres of boot space, expanding to 1700L with the rear seats folded.
We’d expect the rear-hinged back doors to disappear and conventional B-pillars to appear on the production version, but otherwise the Vision O looks quite production-ready.
There’s a unique floating roof treatment, with the B-pillar incorporated into the rear door, and the roof and rearmost pillars painted black. Lack of a conventional B-pillar aside, this treatment has been seen before on vehicles such as the DS3 Crossback.
However, the clean flanks, boxy wheel-arches and rakish tailgate give the Vision O a distinctive look of its own.
It wears Skoda’s new ‘Tech-loop face mask’, featuring slim lighting elements that fade into a black trim piece that forms a border for the front-end. Slim, T-shaped lighting elements can be seen at the rear.
The Volkswagen Group brand’s Modern Solid design theme was previewed by the 2022 Vision 7S concept, and has subsequently been shown off on a near production-ready version of the small Epiq SUV that was also revealed in Munich.
The Vision O brings a fresh take on it, offering a familial resemblance to the Vision 7S and Epiq without looking like a carbon copy.
It also has a minimalist interior, albeit still with physical switchgear including a rotary dial and rocker switches on the centre console.
Most functions are controlled via a large, portrait-oriented touchscreen, while the new Skoda Horizon Display is reminiscent of that shown off in the BMW iX3 at the Munich show.
It’s a 1.2m-long horizontal display that spans the entire dashboard. Key information is displayed ahead of the driver, eliminating the need for a conventional instrument cluster or head-up display.
There’s an AI-powered digital assistant called Laura, which can discuss the vehicle’s surroundings and take meeting notes, among other tasks. Skoda says Laura will also enhance route planning in the MySkoda app by adding charging stops, petrol stations and shopping centres based on the user’s preferences.
While the Vision O name suggests this car previews a future Octavia, it’s also a nod to Skoda’s sustainability efforts through the use of ‘circular materials’ such as recycled trim and plant-based products.
The seat covers are made from a 100 per cent recycled polyester flatknit material; Ultrasuede NU material applied to larger interior parts has 65 per cent plant-based content; and the flooring is made from post-production leather scraps.
Skoda likes to include subtle surprise-and-delight features like little umbrellas and parking ticket holders as part of its Simply Clever philosophy, and the Vision O has some unique features too.
There are umbrellas of course (four!), along with a dedicated storage area for charging cables in the boot, plus a portable Bluetooth speaker and a fridge.
Skoda hasn’t provided any powertrain details, but the production version is set to be battery-electric.
While Skoda has a wide range of SUVs – the combustion-powered Kamiq, Karoq and Kodiaq, plus the electric Elroq, Enyaq and upcoming Epiq – its wagons remain popular in wagon-friendly Europe.
Since 1998, Skoda has sold three million Octavia wagons. That’s a hefty chunk of total Octavia volume, given Skoda has sold more than 7.5 million Octavias overall since 1996.
Similarly, Skoda has sold more than 1.6 million Superbs since 2001 and, while it didn’t launch a wagon version of its largest car until 2008, it has already notched up 650,000 sales.
Above: Skoda Superb and Octavia
In Australia, where wagons are much less popular, Skoda is the only mass-market brand to still offer mid-size and large wagons.
The Octavia lost its last direct rival earlier this year, when the Mazda 6 was axed, and the Superb is technically the last mainstream large car on sale in our market, wagon or otherwise.
While wagons continue to disappear in Australia, where they are much more of a niche product than in Europe, China appears to be the latest market to embrace to this long-running and once-widespread body style.
BYD, Nio and Zeekr, among other Chinese auto brands, have all recently launched wagons in their home market.