The pickup truck is an ageless vehicle that's designed to be driven into the ground. That was supposed to be the European perception, partly imposed by tradition, but also the work of journalists.
But Europe has been steadily falling in love with the compact truck, so much so that Volkswagen decided to partner with archenemy Ford so that it can keep selling another Amarok. Nameplates like the Ranger, L200, and Hilux are also popular, but today we're going to focus on a Skoda pickup... that doesn't exist.
Skoda used to be this brand of expendable cars that you used and threw away. People used to joke that Czech vehicles were made from tins and cardboard, but no more. I think the true turning point was the arrival of the Octavia III back in 2012, but even before that, we had the hugely popular Yeti.
This year, they transitioned into performance SUVs with the Kodiaq RS. The decision to use a 2-liter twin-turbo diesel may be controversial to some, but a V6 would have been thirsty and despite what the reviews would have said, Skoda customers wouldn't buy it.
So what about a pickup truck? Well, unfortunately, Skoda doesn't operate in enough pickup markets, unlike VW or Hyundai, who are now working on truck lineup expansion of some kind. China is now the main focus of the Czech brand, which is why you're going to see them crank out even more crossovers.
But we think the Kodiaq RS rendering made by X-Tomi Design looks cool. It's a sports car, a family car, and a utility vehicle. Sure, the price tag would put some people off, but you have no idea how much you can spend on a Mercedes X-Class, and that doesn't have the best interior around.
For a crazy idea like this to work, Skoda would probably need to use another kind of platform, one that's better suited to pickup beds and off-roading.
Skoda used to be this brand of expendable cars that you used and threw away. People used to joke that Czech vehicles were made from tins and cardboard, but no more. I think the true turning point was the arrival of the Octavia III back in 2012, but even before that, we had the hugely popular Yeti.
This year, they transitioned into performance SUVs with the Kodiaq RS. The decision to use a 2-liter twin-turbo diesel may be controversial to some, but a V6 would have been thirsty and despite what the reviews would have said, Skoda customers wouldn't buy it.
So what about a pickup truck? Well, unfortunately, Skoda doesn't operate in enough pickup markets, unlike VW or Hyundai, who are now working on truck lineup expansion of some kind. China is now the main focus of the Czech brand, which is why you're going to see them crank out even more crossovers.
But we think the Kodiaq RS rendering made by X-Tomi Design looks cool. It's a sports car, a family car, and a utility vehicle. Sure, the price tag would put some people off, but you have no idea how much you can spend on a Mercedes X-Class, and that doesn't have the best interior around.
For a crazy idea like this to work, Skoda would probably need to use another kind of platform, one that's better suited to pickup beds and off-roading.