In case you've missed the memo, Skoda is working on a new design language that will likely debut on a production model in 2023 with the next-generation Superb flagship. As a taste of things to come, the Vision 7S concept will be unveiled in the coming weeks or months to signal the Czech brand's fresh visual identity. Before it debuts, the electric showcar unveils its six-seat interior, plus a child seat integrated into the center console.
Presumably riding on a dedicated electric platform, the Vision 7S must have a completely flat floor to allow Skoda's engineers to fit an extra-long center console. The 2+2+2 layout is nothing that we haven't seen before, but that built-in child seat is a new example of a Simply Clever idea. Skoda says the safest place inside the vehicle is where the toddler sits, but without going into details about how big of a seat the center console can accommodate.
Beyond that seventh seat, the Skoda Vision 7S has a giant glass roof with an Enyaq-like dashboard since we notice a small digital instrument cluster joined by a tablet-like touchscreen grafted onto the dash. The big screen tilts depending on whether the autonomous driving mode is activated or not, remaining in vertical mode when the car is manually driven and switching to a horizontal layout when the vehicle does all the work.
Those body-hugging seats have built-in orange seatbelts while the backrests of the front ones feature integrated backrests. In addition, Skoda has fitted holders for smartphones and tablets to take care of the rear entertainment system. The big screen hasn't swallowed all the controls as the console between the front seats incorporates some physical buttons along with rotary dials for the climate settings.
We're being told the door cards and steering wheel of what the original teaser image showed will be an SUV feature haptic controls. Being a concept car, it shouldn't come as a surprise Skoda has used sustainable materials to show going green is more than just about pumping out EVs. It's unclear whether the Vision 7S will morph into a production model, but these Vision concepts usually do. By riding on a bespoke electric platform with a long wheelbase and short overhangs, it could be roughly the size of the Karoq while offering Kodiaq levels of interior room.
Skoda has already announced three electric vehicles will be out by the end of the decade and all of them will be smaller and more affordable than the Enyaq.
