Despite now being a niche offering in most markets, wagons still have a cult-like following, thanks to their offering of traditional car-like dynamics with arguably more packaging practicality than SUVs.
Skoda is one of the few brands in its segment to offer multiple wagons (and liftbacks) in the Octavia and Superb, but with the former set to go electric in the near future, it’s previewed what the next iteration will look like.
The Vision O follows in the footsteps of other recent Skoda concepts by adopting the Czech marque’s new ‘Modern Solid’ design language, with its new ‘Tech-Loop’ front end succeeding the existing Tech-Deck looks.
A much slimmer faux grille sits below thin LED lights and an illuminated brand badge, while the rest of the surround incorporates the ‘O’ shape of the concept’s name.
Its squared-off side profile and reverse-hinged rear doors lead to a bold rear end, with another illuminated badge and a similarly O-shaped light design, while the back window appears more slanted than current versions of the Octavia wagon.
Of course, the brand which brought us the ‘Simply Clever’ tagline has packed the interior full of equipment, with a full-width digital instrument display spanning the dashboard, sitting above a portrait-oriented infotainment screen.
Unlike a number of production cars, the Skoda Vision O also retains physical steering wheel controls. It also adopts a new version of the brand’s AI-powered digital assistant.
Behind the second row is a sizeable boot, capable of holding more than 650 litres – 10 litres more than the current Octavia, and 40 litres shy of the Superb wagon.
It’s expected the production version of the Vision O will launch as the new Octavia in 2027 or 2028, and will continue to be based on the same platform as the contemporary Volkswagen Golf.
Both models are expected to run on the Volkswagen Group’s upcoming Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), rather than the existing MEB platform which underpins current Volkswagen ID. models.
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