Photo: Theophilus Chin
I have a cute little theory that Skoda could be a much more popular brand, even a premium one if Volkswagen would ever let it. You see, not only does the Czech automaker have a much longer history, but it's also cleaner, not tainted by an association with Hitler or killing all the baby seals through emissions.
That last part might be up for debate, but you know who else is a clean carmaker? Volvo. And pretty soon, it will be a world leader in all sorts of things.
Volkswagen will always deliberately choke Skoda, as up until this year you couldn't get some features from the old Golf 6 on the new Octavia. Meanwhile, the flagship Superb lacks a well-defined technological edge. No digital dash, no super-chip, no pop-up screens or autonomous driving.
But we'd argue that letting Skoda do what it wants in the MPV marketplace is ideal for Vdub. The Czechs are famous for their Simply Clever convenience features which every family man wants. What's more, the gadgets or the handling are less important in this segment. I mean, BMW got away without making the 2 Series Active Tourer into the ultimate family driving machine.
I don't know why Theophilus Chin chose to do a rendering of the Volkswagen=>Skoda Touran. But maybe he got tired of looking at crossovers. The MPV was Europe's original 7-seater for people who have too many kids or relatives.
But somehow, a thin glazing of ruggedness makes the crossover drive look like he succeeded in life while his MPV counterpart is stuck changing diapers. If only growing a beard and putting on a lumberjack shift worked like that...
Anyway, there's a whole heap of stuff I like about the Skoda version of the Touran, like the big grille. Volkswagen hasn't made a prominent grille since the Passat 6 R. The trademark Czech headlights also help it look the part.
Now, I'm not saying that the VW Touran looks bad. In fact, with the R-Line body kit, it's a handsome diaper carrier. But brand differentiation would benefit both brands: VW would be free to make a Tiguan coupe and Skoda would have more models.
Volkswagen will always deliberately choke Skoda, as up until this year you couldn't get some features from the old Golf 6 on the new Octavia. Meanwhile, the flagship Superb lacks a well-defined technological edge. No digital dash, no super-chip, no pop-up screens or autonomous driving.
But we'd argue that letting Skoda do what it wants in the MPV marketplace is ideal for Vdub. The Czechs are famous for their Simply Clever convenience features which every family man wants. What's more, the gadgets or the handling are less important in this segment. I mean, BMW got away without making the 2 Series Active Tourer into the ultimate family driving machine.
I don't know why Theophilus Chin chose to do a rendering of the Volkswagen=>Skoda Touran. But maybe he got tired of looking at crossovers. The MPV was Europe's original 7-seater for people who have too many kids or relatives.
But somehow, a thin glazing of ruggedness makes the crossover drive look like he succeeded in life while his MPV counterpart is stuck changing diapers. If only growing a beard and putting on a lumberjack shift worked like that...
Anyway, there's a whole heap of stuff I like about the Skoda version of the Touran, like the big grille. Volkswagen hasn't made a prominent grille since the Passat 6 R. The trademark Czech headlights also help it look the part.
Now, I'm not saying that the VW Touran looks bad. In fact, with the R-Line body kit, it's a handsome diaper carrier. But brand differentiation would benefit both brands: VW would be free to make a Tiguan coupe and Skoda would have more models.
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