Skoda Vision O for Octavia

VW subsidiary Skoda is working on the family estate car of 2030, with a sustainable interior, autonomous driving and a bold exterior.

Despite SUVs slowly killing estate cars this Skoda Vision O concept suggests the body style still has a future into the next decade. 

The big aero-savvy five-door is a peek at transport in five years’ time. It centres around autonomous driving, sustainability, AI assistance and a cabin that alters according to your body clock. It is also a look at the Skoda Octavia of the future. 

While O might suggest the model name, Skoda says it represents circularity. The floor trim is scrap leather, and there are plant-based materials. Seat covers come from recycled polyester for easier recycling. Skoda boss Klaus Zellmer says the concept looks to a future Octavia, which is still the brand’s best seller.

He said: “It’s going to create a lot of buzz and controversial discussion because the design is very, very forward.”

Skoda’s wing-shaped grille graphic is there but stretched across the entire nose. The fascia is now called the Tech-Loop face mask. T-shaped rear lamps will grace the upcoming electric Epiq, while the Skoda bonnet plinth is present. 

Zellmer feels the “car is clearly recognisable as a Skoda: it’s a further step of our ‘modern solid’ established with the Elroq”.

But the aero-inspired lines move Skoda design on, as part of Zellmer’s intention to make the brand more aspirational. 

Read our review of the 2025 Skoda Superb.

Skoda continues to do well with estates. It has been Europe’s best-selling wagon maker since 2016, thanks to Superb and Octavia, both sizable vehicles, of 4.7-4.9m. Vision O is similar in size to Superb but its 650L luggage bay is slighlty smaller. The O stands a touch higher than both, presumably to accommodate battery packs beneath. 

However, it might not end up quite as tall once Octavia switches to the Volkswagen Group’s next-generation SSP electric architecture, succeeding MEB. Meantime, Enyaq, Elroq and Epiq, three SUVs, will constitute Skoda’s electric offerings.  

The other reasons to wait for the new platform are autonomous drive possibilities, extended range, and fast charge capability. 

Octavia won’t go electric until at least 2030. Before then, it will come in for one final facelift when PHEVs return to the line-up. 

No technical details are to hand so Skoda chose to focus on the cabin. The dashboard is dominated by Skoda’s Horizon Display, a configurable digital panel that’s 1.2 metres wide, reminding of that in the new iX3.

Drivers select the digital panel’s functions by click-wheel controller. Laura, the AI assistant, will in future use a Large Language Model, making it much more capable.   

The cockpit is minimalist and features bio-adaptive lighting that changes according to daily light cycles. 

There’s a Tranquil mode, which dims everything for rest stops. Or for when the Skoda O takes over driving responsibilities.