Skoda leaders discuss sleek Vision O 

The exterior of Skoda's new concept may have had chins wagging at the packed launch party in Munich, but it is inside where serious innovation is on show. 

The Vision O does of course showcase a new, more minimalist exterior design and seems a plausible progression for the Modern Solid design language in the near term. Suicide doors aside, it would not look out of place in the portfolio today, an attractive estate format with new light signatures front and rear, recessed door handles and chunky-but-not-cartoonish rims. 

In person the Vision O feels large, stretched even, and with that strong shoulder line wrapping around the car in line with the cowl there is almost a nautical feel. Cover the wheels and it might make a decent yacht. 

Sleek is the operative word here, with gentle surfacing and no exaggerated creases. A strong shoulder line is interrupted only by the thick body-coloured B-pillar which contrasts with the black roof and A- and C-pillars. Squint, and when viewed side-on the roofline disappears, almost creating the appearance of a Ute. 

Up close it becomes apparent that the award-winning lighting team had fun here, introducing a series of vertical lines that emanate from the top of the grille and back in beneath the hood (and its horizontal light bar). "We try to have fun in every project," head of design Oliver Stefani told Car Design News. "Of course, with this [particular] Skoda, there was a little bit more freedom."

Indeed, as any good concept car should do, the Vision O was a platform to trial and play with promising new technologies or treatments. This is particularly evident on the interior, which recycled 3D-printed plastic used as the base for much of the visible coverings and most blatantly with the meshed, open-pore headrests. 

The floor and floormats, for example, is Nabore recycled leather that turns scrap into an attractive speckled veneer employed at scale across the entire floor of the car. Skoda namedrops the Vision 7S, which also employed recycled material, in that case repurposing old tires. Because the material is recycled and pressed in batches, the result is never exactly the same. 

Elsewhere, the seat covers and other interior elements use 100% recycled PEC in a 'flatknit' format that is soft to the touch and slightly dimpled. It is showcased in Sand, a creamy colour by Borgstena. 

There is also a new approach to interior tech. As luck would have it, head of interior and UX design Chan Park, who joined in May last year (starting in June), was on the sidelines to tell CDN more. 

"Skoda is a strong brand that keeps its core ingredients. Practicality, for example, is really important to our DNA. That's why the Vision O envisions our estate or 'wagon' for the future," Park explains. "With this car we are also showing practicality through our intelligent vehicles and the future of digitalisation."

Park's comments point to a key element of innovation: the horizontal screen that stretches pillar to pillar across the top of the IP. On paper, this is not necessarily a groundbreaking addition but in person the execution does feel a little different to others we have seen. It is panoramic, yes, but not intrusive owing to its lack of height. The Skoda Horizon Display combines the usual instrument cluster and widgets for both driver and passenger. 

"That immersive band is something you have to consciously decide on because it is so different. We know other car manufacturers are working with similar solutions, but our process was about asking: does that add value to our core customers?" CEO Klaus Zellmer told Car Design News. "This is a feature that would replace the head up display (HUD), so we consciously also asked people who love HUDs to try this and they loved it. We're fairly confident that this is the right direction."

Park is clearly a popular hire. Away from the main stage, Stefani and Zellmer emphasised his impact on the design team. "He's been a really good asset to our team in terms of design," commented Stefani, "but also from the human side, he fits us very well. It is important that we have a good team working together, and he brings a different approach to our cars, which we really love." 

Zellmer is clearly no stranger to the halls of the design department at large, commenting more broadly that "it's great to see the team inspire each other, bring new ideas, argue about this and that — which creates friction and energy — and then we test it."

It is always interesting for CDN to speak with top brass who ultimately shape the direction of the company and in turn influence design strategy either directly or indirectly. Zellmer appears to be as in tune with design as any CEO, and clearly has a strong relationship with Stefani — evidenced in the pair's playful double act during the formal presentation of the vehicle. "Design is super important," he emphasised to CDN. 

Stefani concludes by highlighting the concentrated efforts of the group, not exactly stating that it punches above its weight, but certainly implying that: "It was a small group of people working on this task — very international, by the way — and so the outcome is really great."