Skoda has set the stage for its forthcoming Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus rival with the Vision RS, a concept car that features a performance plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain.
Under the sporty details and concept flourishes, the Vision RS is close to how next year’s Skoda Rapid hatchback will look.
The fact that it has been previewed in vRS form, complete with 242bhp PHEV powertrain, shows how much further upmarket the new Rapid will go compared with the current value-led model.
Opinion: why Skoda is putting hybrid tech into hot vRS models
Skoda product marketing chief Björn Kroll said: “The current Rapid is too low-market. For this one, we have tried to balance it out.”
Skoda will drop the slow-selling liftback version and concentrate on the Spaceback hatch for the new Rapid.
The concept is 4356mm long, just over 50mm longer than the current Rapid, and has a 440-litre boot, up 25 litres.
The concept retains some of the current Rapid’s design elements but Skoda interior design chief Oliver Stefani called the new model more “emotional”. He said: “This is more confident. We have brand-new curvature and nice shoulders, so it’s more beefy.”
The basic structure of the concept’s interior will be kept for the production version, Stefani said. That includes the “signature line” of the dashboard, with a central dip in which the free-floating touchscreen sits.
Join the debate
Add your comment
Looks promising, but still
Looks promising, but still dislike the cliche of the heavily sculpted door panels along the bottom. Yes, it does make the doors appear less tall, but it's a clumsy device - a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Better
Looks quite good. The current Rapid Spaceback is too long and narrow, with an under-wheeled and "hunchbacked" appearance. Moreover, it makes no sense as it holds less than the (better looking?) Fabia Estate, rear seats up or down. Our local taxi firm won't be happy, though. They run a few Rapid Liftbacks and Toledos, which are cheap and reliable.
Daniel Joseph wrote:
The Rapid 'liftback' (confusingly though correctly called hatchback) and rebadged Toledo are underrated great value for money cars. Not the cutting edge, but tried and tested VW parts bin technologies.
The spaceback has something of the Austin Maestro about it.
I thought the regular saloon-shape hatchback Rapid at least differentiated itself from the Leon, whereas this mk2 Rapid looks like it'll be standing on SEATs toes.
@WallMeerkat
You're right about the Rapid being a simple, rugged car, but that makes it an uncomfortable fit in Skoda's current range. I think VW missed a trick by not differentiating their volume brands more distinctly and positioning Skoda more clearly as a value for money Dacia competitor. My brother-in-law had a Superb estate and now has a Kodiaq. Both could easily carry VW badges and probably take sales from that brand. He was considering a Passat until I suggested he look at the Superb instead.
Oh, and you've nailed it with the Maestro comparison!
Impressive
First it looks good, purposeful and quite sporting (maybe treading on the toes of the Leon?), it will have a decent chassis and strong range of engines plus it sounds like it will be more practical than the Golf (440 litre boot is very good). It's even got rear 3/4 windows so you'll be able to see out of the back. Wonder how much it will cost...