The Skoda Vision O Is A Cool Electric Wagon Concept That You Can Drive

• Take a closer look at the Skoda Vision O concept in this video.
• The Vision O isn’t a fully functional prototype, but you can sit inside and drive it (slowly).
• It previews a future electric Skoda Octavia wagon expected to arrive around 2028.

Skoda Octavia wagons are big business in Europe. Even though the Czech manufacturer sells a lot of crossovers, its long-roof, load-lugging Octavia Combi remains a strong seller across the continent. The news that the Octavia is going electric will broaden the nameplate’s appeal, especially since Skoda intends to offer it with a wagon body.

It’s not hard to see what’s so seductive about the Octavia Combi. It uses the same platform that you find under a Volkswagen Golf, but it is more practical, roomier inside and it has considerably more cargo room. The current model boasts a 22.6 cu-ft (640-liter) trunk, which expands to 60 cu-ft (1,700 liters), making it unbeatable in its class when it comes to cargo room.

It also drives well, offers numerous options and personalization, and feels just as premium as today’s VW Golf, with similar attention to assembly and interior materials. You can also get one with a wide range of powertrain options, including a plug-in hybrid and hot RS variants with VW GTI powerplants.

However, while Volkswagen does offer an electric alternative to the Golf in the form of the ID.3, Skoda doesn’t yet have an electric Octavia on offer. But that will change around 2028, when Skoda is expected to launch an Octavia EV. It won’t be built on the same MEB platform as the ID.3 and other current VW EVs, but rather on the newer, more advanced SSP architecture, which will bring a range of new features.

Even though it won’t necessarily be longer than today’s Octavia, the EV will take advantage of the new platform and increased width to deliver a more spacious cabin packed with new tech. At the same time, the manufacturer promises it will retain many physical controls. The width increase should also improve its stance on the road and overall appearance, giving it a lot more presence than today’s combustion model.

The software-defined SSP platform also runs at 800 volts, making the Octavia EV a true Gen 3 EV, the kind of electric model needed to bring buyers back from the Chinese cars that seem to be making so much sense to them these days. BYD and Geely are growing rapidly in Europe, offering genuinely good (mostly electric or electrified) cars that are still reasonably priced even after hefty import tariffs are applied.

But Skoda has what it takes to make an electric Octavia a success and we have a lot to look forward to if it’s as cool as the Vision O concept that shows what it could be like. This study shows both what an electric Octavia wagon could be like, but also what Skoda’s design language will evolve into in the second part of the decade.

We have covered this concept previously, but the press photos and information didn’t give us as good a look at its details as this video published by Electrifying. The host, Tom Ford, takes a closer look at the concept and even gets to drive it, although its powertrain is purely meant to move the concept around at low speed, so he doesn’t actually take it out on the road. Still, this is our best look at what a VW Group product launched two years from now could look like, and there’s a lot to like about it.