Futuristic Rendering Breathes New Life Into 1905 Laurin & Klement Voiturette

One artist, or rather, automotive designer, Yuhan Zhang, seems to have a passion for the famed vehicle. Tracking this designer via Behance, her resume shows intern and designer work starting with Volvo, through Suzuki and BMW, and finally arriving at Skoda. That makes sense as to why she chose to redesign the first Skoda automobile.

However, if you were to follow the rabbit hole deeper, you’d find that this design is actually part of a Skoda Design and Skoda Storyboard web series called "Icons Get a Makeover," where young designers bring a modern twist to iconic Skoda vehicles. This is one of those twists.

To understand more about what you see, you’ve got to know the backstory. Imagine a future where the aristocratic lifestyle is once again revived. But being a future, you must consider the inclusion of technological advancements that are taking hold as we speak.

The Voiturette before you may have some resemblance to the original, in terms of lines and characteristics, but from a technological and functional standpoint, it's nothing like its ancestor. This design is meant to be nothing more than an autonomous tour vehicle people could use to explore the fine city of Prague, for example.

In resemblance to the classic vehicle, this rendering still follows some of the key cues found aboard the 1905 model. The engine compartment triggers one clear resemblance. Because the future Voiturette is an autonomous one, meaning that it’s also probably electric, the engine is no longer the classic water-cooled, two-cylinder, 7-PS (6.9-hp) powerhouse, but rather a mixture of battery cells and motors meant to turn the wheels. The author does not say whether they’re in-wheel motors.

Towards the rear of the vehicle, the original model shows a lack of side panels, thus revealing a space to step into the carriage more easily. For the futuristic model, the designer decided to include this step-into frame as well. Personally, I feel it looks damn cool; it really gives the ride a sort of hot rod look.

At the rear of the autonomous Voiturette, the passengers are to be seated in a similar fashion to the classic version upon a coach-like seating. A padded cushion seat with classic stitching brings back the feel of days when things were a lot simpler.

Another feature the designer decided to keep intact is that of the luggage compartment. Found underneath the seating, a luggage container secured by a pair of belts and buckles, offers the necessary space to store essentials on your tour. What sort of museum tour may require you to bring luggage, I don’t know, but hey, who am I to judge the designer’s ideas?

Because the age of the chauffeur is long gone, yet people still want to be driven around like kings and queens, autonomous AI is the next best thing. To help you keep in close contact with that AI, Zhang included a travel display feature that sits in place of a windshield. Being just a tour vehicle, I can’t imagine speed being a point of interest. More likely, this screen will display information about the exhibit you’re looking at or what may be coming up next.

Anything else regarding this design is not known to the public; typical aristocratic move, right? Nonetheless, it would seem as if this rendering may have made it past just a visual design and into a scale model. If that’s true, who knows what sort of autonomous Skoda we may see in the future. For now, it’s just a piece to feed your imagination.