Concept cars are a funny thing. On one hand they are a flight of fantasy, a thought piece on where car design might go in the future. On the other, they are a statement of intent, a tease – and rarely, a glimpse at the actual car.
Looking through some of the concepts I’ve seen over the years, the Rolls-Royce Vision Next 100, feels like it’s a long way from reality – as does the Citroen 19_19 Concept, while the Nissan Concept 20-23 looks like a modded hot hatch.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
Concepts, of course, come in stages. The three designs above are a long way from reality, but as we creep closer to launch, concepts tend to be closer to reality. When Kia announced the EV9 concept in 2021, I didn’t expect a car almost identical (from the exterior at least) to be launched in 2023.
But Kia went ahead and did it – and it’s one of the most eye-catching cars on the road. The Kia EV9 could have been flattened, lost the angles and just been a large lump of car, but instead, it’s exciting.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
So when Skoda produces a “design study”, showing off what we might expect from the forthcoming Skoda Epiq – due to launch in 2025 – there’s a chance that this might be nothing like the car that gets launched. But I’m hoping that this is exactly what we get, because what we don’t need is a boring crossover. What we do need is exclusive designs for electric cars to bring some futuristic excitement to things.
Don’t get me wrong, I think that Skoda’s EV offering – the Enyaq – is great, but it doesn’t move design forward much from the Kodiaq. There seem to be two schools of thought in EV design, you either make it very much like the existing combustion model so you don’t scare drivers (like the BMW iX3 or the Audi e-tron Q8), or you go completely radical. I’d be amazingly happy if the Skoda Epiq looks nothing like the Skoda Karoq and instead, keeps this futuristic design.
A closer look at the Skoda Epiq
The Skoda Epiq is part of a new gang of affordable EVs coming down the line. It’s going to be priced around €25,000 and is due to get a full reveal in 2025, so it’s not far off. The model is said to be 4.1 metres in length and offer 490 litres of storage, which is respectable – certainly enough for a weekend away or the big shop from Sainsbury’s.
The range is said to be 400km (that’s 250 miles) and you can expect that to be chopped further when it comes to real world driving. It’s likely that the Epiq will get to use the 38kWh or 56kWh batteries which have been promised for the VW ID.2 – and likely to power this next generation of more affordable EVs. There’s no word on the power, but if it’s following the VW ID.2’s lead, then 125kW charging and a 0-62mph time of about 7 seconds seems about right.
IMAGE CREDIT: SKODA
Skoda doesn’t actually say much about the Epiq’s technical abilities – apart from supporting bidirectional charging – but it does say it will present that new minimalist Modern Solid interior.
The interior doesn’t present anything that looks unrealisitic. The row of physical buttons looks like a welcome offering with access to essential functions. What’s missing is a physical volume control, instead offering a touch strip under the display. This seems to be following VW’s lead, with most interaction taking place through the touchscreen.
Note also the minimalised driver display. VW has been reducing driver displays and it’s pretty similar to the display that you might find in an ID.3 for example.
But I like what I see here. This looks like a distinctive design, a futuristic look that throws off the past and drives Skoda towards a new future. Let’s just hope this is what we get on launch day.
