Skoda’s electric seven-seater – Preview

Highlights

• Large, electric seven-seater
• MEB base
• Production version Vision 7S

Does the car on these pages look familiar? That’s not surprising. Our draftsman used the Skoda Vision 7S concept car as a basis, for the simple reason that Skoda itself does the same when developing the new seven-seater. The Vision 7S debuted in August last year. Skoda makes no secret of the fact that this model not only concretely previews a new large seven-seater, but also heralds a different design direction for the brand. So every reason to assume that this concept car gives a good impression, also because the Vision 7S already looks quite ready for production.

Although the as yet unnamed EV as a seven-seater SUV is conceptually similar to the traditionally powered Kodiaq, it will soon be larger on all sides. Count on a length of more than 5 meters and a height of around 1.90 meters. Together with a wheelbase of more than 3 meters and a relatively short nose – after all, it is electric – it promises to be even more spacious than the Kodiaq, which already lacks little in that area. We can assume more seating space in the back, both on the undoubtedly sliding middle row and on the two-seater sofa at the very back. There are not many such electric space giants yet, so at the moment the large Skoda is fairly unique in the European car landscape. Once he appears, however, things are different. Kia is launching an EV9, which may be joined by a similar Hyundai. Within the Volkswagen Group, it is certainly not inconceivable that the large Skoda will have a sister model from Volkswagen, Cupra and/or Audi. Volkswagen itself already has an electric seven-seater, the ID.6, although it is only available in China for the time being. The new Skoda will probably be a lot bigger.

Vertical elements

According to the design boss of the brand, the new design language of Skoda is reserved for the fully electric models. They will distinguish themselves more from the conventional Skodas. Not surprising, because the Enyaq clearly shows that it was not designed as a fully electric car. After all, it still has a large ‘grille’, which is filled with, depending on the version, black plastic or a kind of display window of LED lighting. With the new drawing style, the nose is naturally closed, although there is still a black bar. It houses all kinds of cameras and sensors and thus serves a purpose. Headlights and taillights are cast in a striking T-shape. Vertical and T-shaped elements can also be found elsewhere, for example in the striking rear window pillar. Our draftsman assumes that the vertical door handles of the concept car will not reach the production stage, but of course he does not give any guarantees. Even the logos are different from the current models. The well-known round emblem makes way for the brand name ‘Skoda’, in a fresh, rather different form. The switch has already been made on the back, but we now also find the widely written brand name in a new font.

The concept car: Skoda Vision 7S

600 kilometers range

We can only guess at the exact specifications, but in general there is something to be said about it. This way we know for sure that the car will soon be on the MEB platform of the Volkswagen Group, most likely the revised variant that has yet to be launched. That means that the model is basically a rear-wheel drive. At the same time, we can look forward to various improvements. For example, Volkswagen promises charging speeds of more than 200 kW, while the EVs in the current range peak at 170 kW. With the arrival of new, larger models, there is a good chance that the maximum battery capacity will increase. Skoda states that the concept car has 89 kWh, certainly not an unrealistic value for a production car of this size. With such a battery, a theoretical range of 600 kilometers or more should be feasible, very pleasant during long holiday trips with the family. When the space giant will come on the market, we cannot say yet. The car is part of an electric trio that will see the light of day between now and 2026. In addition to the seven-seater, there will be a small Fabia-sized EV and a compact electric SUV that will have a place in the range under the Enyaq for that year. And the Kodiaq? That seven-seater with fuel engines will remain and will even appear in a completely new form later this year.