Skoda previews all-new Superb with Vision C

Skoda’s Vision C concept previews more dramatic proportions and provides definite hints to the appearance of next year’s all-new Superb range.

The five-door liftback coupe sits in the Czech brand’s line-up between the new Octavia and the Superb, although Skoda refuses at this stage to provide any dimensions beyond saying it is around 4700mm long and 1820mm wide, and claiming only that it plans for a new four-seat model to join the fast-expanding model line-up in 2016.

Another model built on VW’s flexible MQB architecture, Vision C is expected to share its basic underpinnings with the next-generation VW Passat and, especially, the drop-top VW CC.

Despite the much lower roofline, Skoda swears the concept retains the roomy interior and practicality that are brand essentials.

Skoda says the 0.26cd drag coefficient is a best-ever figure for one of its production cars, and that the styling is 90 percent a realistic preview of the production version.

A bolder shallow grille, taut surfaces and a triangular theme to its lights are elements expected to carry through to other new Skoda models such as the next Superb.

Skoda chairman Winfried Vahland says a greater priority is being placed on design “and we want to combine this with our traditional practical qualities in more sophisticated cars”.

The Vision C is powered by the same 1.4-litre direct-injection engine used in the Golf TGI and Audi A3 G-Tron that can run on either petrol or natural gas, but it is engineered to use a wide variety of existing and future VW Group engines from 1.4-litre to 2.0-litres, in both front- and all-wheel-drive layouts.