NEW DELHI :

Oliver Stefani, Head of Design, Skoda, is the man of the moment. He tells us about designing the VISION IN, incorporating Indian Kalmkari design into the concept car, how boat and ship designs inspire him, and why strong colours will rule Skoda cars 

TOS: How long has it taken you to design VISION IN from the start to showcasing it here today?

OS: The whole process including designing and building this show car was about one year…12 months.

TOS: Did the brief for this vehicle come from India or from Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic?

OS: We developed this brief together with our Indian colleagues. We visited India, of course, and we knew the kind of compact SUV this had to be, we knew our competitors, so we started to design the car last year, around January – February, we made some sketches, we made some proposals, and we discussed this internally, we discussed this with our colleagues, and then we came up with this kind of direction. 

TOS: What other competition did you look at, in India, while designing the VISION IN?

OS: We were looking at several competitors, I can’t tell you exactly which ones we were looking at, but there are always the right competitors and we were looking at the competitors above this car as well, we always look at that in this segment of cars.

TOS: What according to you is the USP of this vehicle?

OS: I think the USP of this car is the compactness, the dynamic approach, but also this masculine and tough look from the front, the rear and the side. 

TOS: How did you arrive at this colour?  A lot of designers are saying that metallic colours are in vogue right now. You also said earlier that you were inspired by India…

OS: Yes, of course, over here, [India] we have a big Colour and Trim department. We have one resident from our Colour and Trim department here so we are also trying to track the trends here in India and then we bring them into reality in the car and especially this orange colour, it is a very rich colour, a very vibrant colour. As I said, it really is modelling very well the surface of the car. This play of light and shade really makes this car so strong.

TOS: The seats look very different. Tell us about that please…

OS: Because it is a show car, we made the seats a little more dynamic, a little more sportier, with orange leather, complete with the black parts, so that they exhibit a modern and dynamic approach.

TOS: You mentioned that VISION IN has Kalamkari work. Could you tell us about that please?

OS: We were visiting India and some of our Colour and Trim designers, they brought back these prints, these stamps, you know, and we really liked the craftsmanship [Kalmakari] because this craftsmanship is very similar to the Czech bohemian glass industry tradition that we have there. These crystals they’re hand crafted, they’re really blown, and these artists, they do everything by hand, so if they do some grinding and some polishing, so it is a lot of hand-work, so it is the same with Kalmakari, and so we thought this is a very nice combination of this tradition and it fits very well to the market.

TOS: This is a concept car but how much of it will you retain on the car, when it arrives?

OS: Isn’t this an interesting question? [Laughs]. I can tell you something. We have some kind of strategy at Skoda whenever we show some show cars like this VISION car, you know, of course, there are a couple of things that will not make it to production, but when the real car comes you will remember the show car. The design themes are all in this car.

TOS: Tell us about what do you look at for inspiration?

OS: For us, as car designers, there are lots of things that are very interesting. Architecture is one of them. Boat design, ship design is very interesting. All these flowing, streamline objects are very interesting for us. Also, fashion is very interesting. Tradition is fascinating as well. So, we are trying bits and pieces from a lot of different places. 

TOS: What are the other colours that are going to be very big in the coming years?

OS: Let’s say that we try to have very strong colours because our design language is getting emotional and we need some colours to also support this idea.

TOS: Skoda is very big on the ‘Family resemblance’ on all of its cars. Is that going to continue or will there be an attempt to move away from it? 

OS: Our purpose is that whatever car we do, if it is a notchback, a hatchback, an SUV, a limousine, you definitely have to see that it is a Skoda. We all have to make a family. Like you have sisters or brothers, if you’re in a big family, there are certain elements that you get from the mother, the father, that you share with your brothers and sisters, but we all look different, you know, so we give them all their own character, this is our wish.

TOS: What is the trend at Skoda in terms of body types? Is there more of a concentration on compact SUVs or on hatchbacks or sedans?

OS: Our portfolio is very wide, so we have a lot of different cars, and I think we are taking care of all these different segments.