It might just be a series of sketches, but with a little luck these will blossom into a very enticing little Skoda concept car to grace the likes of a glitzy motor show such as the one forthcoming in Paris or next year in Geneva. Called the Vision RS (vRS?), the branding of which could upset Ford, Audi, and/or Porsche, it signals the Czech automaker’s intention to invest further into the realm of accessible high performance.
The Skoda brand hasn’t shied away from those core tenets, and has long been delivering hot versions of their straight-laced cars; themselves unique takes on existing models from Volkswagen. Despite playing second fiddle to their Wolfsburg overlords, it’s hard to argue that cars like the Leon Cupra R or the Octavia RS pull any punches to save any glory for the VW badge. Further, the company plans to spin off Cupra as their dedicated go-fast brand, somewhat akin to Polestar with Volvo or Mercedes-AMG to Mercedes-Benz.
That said, why is this concept study with its racy looks and angry red aura, being pegged under the Skoda brand and not the fledging Cupra? The answer is, for now, only known to Skoda’s (and VW’s) top brass, unfortunately.
Some have argued that this future concept hatch will be presented in the flesh as a precursor to a an all-new model that will sit between the Fabia and Octavia, or the between the Leon and Octavia should it materialise as bigger than it looks as a render. To that end, Skoda has kindly provided measurements: 4,356mm in length, 1,431mm high, and 1,810mm wide with a wheelbase that stretches 2,650mm. Basically, pretty much the footprint of an Octavia but more squat and shorter end-to-end.
Another theory, given the fact that this is larger hatch, is that the VW Group are indirectly presenting us with the template to the upcoming Volkswagen Golf Mk8. After all, we fully expect that car to grow substantially over the Mk7.5 just as the all-new Polo did over its predecessor. We expect to find out more when Skoda is ready to present the concept at this year’s Paris Motor Show in October.
For more on Skoda cars, check out our Showroom.
