Skoda has just unveiled a new electric car, the Vision 7S. This impressive family SUV offers seven seats, advanced technology and above all the codes of the new brand aesthetics. What a glimpse of the future and the next models of the Czech firm. The Tesla Model X and Model Y have a new competitor.
Skoda takes on Tesla
The Czech manufacturer, which belongs to the Volkswagen group, has pulled out all the stops for its 2022 return with a new style, a new logo and a slew of announcements.
Among them, the Vision 7S concept car, an imposing family SUV which is intended to be 100% electric, the basis of the brand’s three new zero-emission models which are expected by 2026 at the latest.
©Skoda
Green interior
As you will have understood, the Vision 7S can accommodate up to seven passengers, but in a different way from the Tesla Model Y. Looking closely, we see that the Vision 7S has three rows of two seats, and that an additional seat has been fitted between the second row seats, facing the road. It’s quite strange, but Skoda explains that it is “the safest place in the car”. But for the most anxious, the manufacturer has added a camera above to monitor a child.
Stronger still, the 7S has two interior configurations. A classic for driving, and another for moments of relaxation, where the steering wheel and controls are “stowed away” and where the seats recline slightly to take advantage of the central screen. A kind of traveling cinema.
Unsurprisingly, on the materials side, Skoda has only used sustainable or recycled materials, with for example a floor made of reused tires and fabrics made from 100% recycled polyester yarns.
Moreover, the Skoda Vision 7S is full of magnets (rear seats, center console, etc.) to attach your phone, tablet and more. Apple will appreciate this “MagSafe” side. Better, it is possible to write with your finger on the fabric of the seats, that should amuse the children!
©Skoda
Technology for all
Skoda’s concept car obviously has its share of screens, starting with a large 14.6-inch vertical panel. It allows you to control everything, with optimized and simplified menus as possible. We find the most important controls at your fingertips, with visual and haptic effects to facilitate the experience. The top is for driving, while the bottom is used for infotainment. The driver benefits from his side of a head-up display in AR which displays critical data, as well as an 8.8-inch digital instrumentation.
Significant autonomy
Last important point, perhaps the most important for an electric vehicle, autonomy. Precisely, the Vision 7S displays a nice 600 kilometers in the WLTP cycle. Optimistic data on paper but which seems credible with an 89 kWh battery. When we know that the 7S is based on Volkswagen’s MEB platform, we think that Skoda should not be very far from a Porsche Taycan (93 kWh), especially since the Skoda recharges at 200 kW.
©Skoda
An innovative design
This Skoda Vision 7S marks the entrance spirits. Without a logo on the front, it is even difficult to know which brand we are talking about. Under its air of Fisker Ocean or even Jeep, the Vision 7S inaugurates the brand’s new style with in particular the Tech-Deck Face, the new grille. The SKODA inscription reminds that Porsche does this on the back of its vehicles.
LED headlights, camera mirrors, sensitive door handles and others also contribute to the modernization of the car, as does the matte color, a first for the Czech brand.
This should help Skoda achieve its goals by 2030 of selling at least 50% electric vehicles. The zero-emission range of the Mlada Boleslav firm, currently made up of the Enyaq iV and Enyaq Coupé iV, will therefore be completed by 2026 with three new models, including the production version of this Vision 7S.