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The styling of Skodas is set to become considerably more daring in the future, according to one of the company’s chief designers.

Having carved out a brand identity of good value, honest cars under the ownership of Volkswagen, the Czech firm is now looking to add more flair to each model, according to Karl Neuhold, the man behind the new Superb estate.

See the Skoda Superb est...Read the full article

Autocar:

The styling of Skodas is set to become considerably more daring in the future, according to one of the company’s chief designers.

 

I hope "daring" is not a euphemism for "ugly" as Skoda falls into the trap of other manufacturers and tries too hard.  I feel that Skoda's styling has already gone off the rails somewhat.  Their first efforts, the Mk1 Octavia, Fabia and Superb (the latter admittedly just a stretched Passat), were very good for mainstream cars; they were neat and well proportioned with good stances.  The Mk2 Octavia looks like a wax model of the Mk1 that's been left out in the sun too long, the Mk2 Fabia is just plain gawky and there has been much adverse comment on this website about the appearance of the latest Superb hatchback.  The Roomster is Skoda's Multipla:  great functionality but best viewed from the inside rather than out.  The Yeti is a much more coherent attempt so perhaps future designs will be more appealing. We'll just have to wait and see.

I’ve always thought their Bonnet is the weak point the ridge down the middle just doesn’t work IMO.  If they just changed this then the whole range would look better.

Hmm, hope that doesn't mean a continuation of the uglification of it's cars. As per above, the MK1 Octavia, Fabia and Superb were good, the MK 2 Octavia was also nice but was ruined by the facelift, the MK2 Fabia and Roomster I find ugly beyond belief.

 

streaky:

I hope "daring" is not a euphemism for "ugly"

 

Most of them are already ugly so I wouldn't worry about that. They need to get rid of the oversized grills and try and make the rear at least interesting.

Good cars but they are either dull (Fabia and Octavia) or ugly (Roomster and Superb). The Yeti looks alright but I wouldn't call that a looker either. Any improvement is welcome.

Lee23404:

They need to get rid of the oversized grills and try and make the rear at least interesting.

 

From what i have herd from other car sites Skoda are dropping the big grills and are going for a new approach,i just hope that there good cars arnt made even uglier.

I think Skoda have an image that is recognisable, is strong and projects a quality product in relation to the price it's sold for. People buy into this image.

I hope they don't lose this or trade it in for something less recognisable but if anyone can pull it off, Skoda can.  They have completely reinvented themselves in the last 20 years, Subaru should be looking to take on the bloke who transformed Skoda's fortunes.

People don't laugh at them today like they laughed at Grandad's (god bless his departed soul) orange 130 Estelle in 1985. As an interesting aside, if you Google '130 Estelle' that doddery old bird from the Golden Girls appears more than the car.

Who'd have thought that then?

Well, looking at the response to the Superb estate, Skoda's new design team is already doing a good job.

Josef Kaban (the guy who designed the Bugatti Veryon) took over as head of Skoda design last year and I suppose the first fruits of his efforts will be the Octavia 3.

There are also rumours that a coupe is on the way :)