Geneva 2016: Skoda VisionS – Electrifying Czech SUV Concept

The turnaround of Skoda is often lauded as one of the Volkswagen Group’s biggest success stories. Yet, Wolfsburg’s subsidiary in the Czech Republic has curiously never had a presence in one of the fastest growing market segments in the automotive industry – the SUV.

The Skoda VisionS concept being showcased in Geneva previews a new model that is set to change that status quo. Based on VW’s MQB modular transverse engine platform, the boxy-looking VisionS measures 4.7 metres long, 1.91 metres wide, and 1.68 metres tall.

Compared with existing VW Group SUVs, it slots between the Tiguan and Touareg in size. Indeed, if the concept’s measurements are carried into production, we are looking at one of the bigger members of the large MQB family, exceeding even the Passat B8 for size.

All measurements to the nearest 0.01 metre.

Whilst the production model should be offered with the usual array of turbocharged petrol TSI and diesel TDI engines, the VisionS show car features a petrol-electric all-wheel drive plug-in hybrid setup all but identical to what’s found under the Tiguan GTE at last year’s Frankfurt show.

Up front, the 1.4-litre EA211 TSI motor supplies 156hp and 250Nm worth of outputs complemented by an additional 40kW and 220Nm from an electric motor mounted inside a 6-speed DSG hooked to the front wheels. The rear wheels, meanwhile, are spun independently by a second electric motor with 85kW and 270Nm at its disposal.

The three propulsion sources work together to deliver a combined output of 225hp, good enough to propel the VisionS to a top speed of around 200km/h, along the way reaching 100km/h from rest in 7.4 seconds.

With a full charge from the mains, the 12.4kWh lithium-ion battery mounted just ahead of the VisionS’ rear axle is good enough to sustain up to 50km of zero emission cruising. Driven economically, the vehicle’s range can be stretched up to 1,000km with the use of both power sources.