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There is also a reserve petrol tank, largely to ensure the powertrain will start in very cold weather, that gives the concept a total range of around 400 miles.

The system has already been tested in a converted Karoq. Martin Hrdlicka, Skoda’s head of powertrains, said the decision to use the CNG hybrid system on the Vision X was, in part, to showcase a way to effectively bring four-wheel drive to smaller vehicles. “Four-wheel-drive machines make up 10% of Skoda sales. There’s no 4WD in the entry-level A segment, so this can help us offer a car of that size with four-wheel drive.

“It would also suit a car the size of the Karoq. You lose a little boot space, but we put the bottles and the battery in the space provided for the spare wheel, so it’s only a small reduction.”

The Kamiq is unlikely to be offered with the compressed CNG powertrain, at least initially.

Skoda Vision X design

While officially a design study for an 'urban' compact crossover, the exterior of the Vision X gives heavy hints at what the production Kamiq will look like. The front of the car – in particular the grille (although on the Vision X it is made from a single piece of glass) and ‘power dome’ on the bonnet – echoes the Karoq and Kodiaq.

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But there are some design features new to Skoda. The lights have been raised, with thin daytime running lights and indicators above the main headlights. At the rear, the Vision X features L-shaped tail-lights that line up with a similarly shaped bumper reflector.

Notably, the rear bootlid of the concept doesn’t feature a Skoda logo, with the brand name spelt out instead. That has set a new style for the brand that has been followed by the Scala and Kamiq.

While based on the same platform as the T-Roc and Arona, at 4250mm the Vision X is longer than both (the T-Roc is 4234mm long, the Arona 4138mm). It is also lower than those cars at 1500mm high, while it sits between the 1780mm Arona and 1819 T-Roc at 1800mm wide. The Vision X also has a substantially longer wheelbase of 2645mm, compared with 2590mm in the T-Roc and 2566mm in the Arona. 

The interior of the Vision X features elements that can be seen in the interior of the Scala and Kamiq. The wide dashboard contains a large, centrally located touchscreen that sits above a small ‘wing’ designed for resting a hand on while using the screen.

There are also some design concepts that are unlikely to be seen on production models, including a 2+2 seating layout and the inclusion in the boot of long boards (and a drone) – Skoda’s concept of a ‘last-mile mobility’ solution to aid urban commuters.

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