2017 Shanghai Motor Show: Skoda Vision E Concept breaks cover

We’ve seen it teased and sketched, but now we can see Skoda’s sleek Vision E crossover concept in its final form.

Scheduled to make its first public appearance at the Shanghai Motor Show later this week, the first images of the Vision E Concept have leaked early thanks to Russian website Autowp.ru. With slightly more realistic proportions than the exaggerated concept sketches, the Vision E presents as an especially streamlined interpretation of the ‘coupe’-like SUV form factor, with some parallels to Tesla’s Model X.

4

A full-glass roof that’s integrated with the windshield is one feature that riffs on the Model X’s design cues, as are the almost featureless flanks, grille-less snout and flush-fit doorhandles. Level 3 autonomous driving aids are also a highlight of the Vision E, and preview the first application of the self-driving tech for Skoda.

| 2017 Skoda Superb Review

And then there’s the powertrain, which comprises a 225kW two-motor all-electric setup with lithium-ion batteries supplying enough electrons for a 500km range. Built on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform, the Vision E Concept is intended from the outset to be a purely electric vehicle – much like the Model X.

4

But unlike Tesla’s gull-winged SUV, the Skoda Vision E features more sheetmetal detailing in the form of sharp creases that echo the styling of the Czech brand’s existing production cars.

Speaking of which, the Vision E is expected to eventually morph into something more showroom-ready. A production version of the Shanghai concept is reported to be in the pipeline for a 2020 on-sale date, becoming the first of five pure-electric models for Skoda.

4