With the press days for this week's Paris show kicking off tomorrow, Skoda has jumped the gun to reveal its Vision RS concept a day early. It's not all that hard to see why, with its production-ready look likely to get lost amongst a few of the event's quirkier exhibits. That's not to say it isn't a handsome design, though, the majority of Skoda's output over the past decade having trod the line between overly unoffensive and underly adventurous rather tactfully, and this being no different.
If it doesn't signal the future of Skoda's range with gullwing doors, side-exit exhausts or 24-inch wheels, then, how does it? Well, as you might expect from the VW subsidiary, its approach to progress is rather more staid. Under the bonnet is a 1.5-litre engine paired with - you guessed it - an electric motor to create the first electrified Skoda vRS model. Not only does this enable over 40 miles of electric range, and bestow the car with all of the usual eco credentials, but it also produces a combined 245hp.
That's 65hp more than Skoda's last hot hatch, the 1.4-litre Fabia vRS, and more than double the output of the comparably sized Rapid SE Sport. Power from the 150hp engine and 102hp motor is sent via a six-speed DSG to enable a 0-62 time of 7.1 seconds, two tenths faster than that Fabia vRS, and a top speed of 130mph.
The plug-in hybrid's lightweight, 20-inch alloy wheels have been optimised to reduce drag while carbon-fibre front splitter, rear diffuser, wing mirrors, air outlets and i30N-style spoiler with integrated brake light complete the sporty vibe. The entire car is said to be both a nod to Skoda's racing history and a preview of the design language of its future sporty creations. The Czech marque is set to launch 10 electrified models by 2025, they won't all be in the vRS vein, but at this end of the market, hot hatch or not, increased power and reduced local emissions can only be a good thing.
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