Students from the ŠKODA AUTO Vocational School in Mladá have demonstrated their design skills this year too. The trainees’ concept car, an open-top ŠKODA KAROQ, is based on the production version of the successful compact SUV. At 4,382 mm, the length of the KAROQ cabriolet remains unchanged, as does the width (at 1,811 mm) and the wheelbase (at 2,638 mm). However, the convertible KAROQ is significantly lower thanks to the use of shock absorbers from the ŠKODA OCTAVIA RS.
The engineering design phase of the open-top ŠKODA KAROQ started in October 2017. The 23 trainees from the ŠKODA Vocational School involved in the concept car could count on the support from their teachers and the Technical Development as well as Design and Production departments from the very beginning. After the engineering and design plans had been finalised in January 2018, the construction phase began. At the beginning of June, the finished ŠKODA KAROQ cabriolet will be presented to the public.
The labour-intensive conversion of the project initially required the students to make extensive changes to the production body of the ŠKODA KAROQ. Once the roof had been removed, the doors had to be adjusted and the tailgate had to be re-designed from scratch. In addition, the trainees re-engineered the entire rear section including the exhaust system. In addition, the A- and B-pillars were altered. The ŠKODA KAROQ cabriolet features modified front and rear bumpers.
To emphasise the open-top ŠKODA KAROQ’s extraordinary character, the trainees either developed all-new ideas or modified some of the existing features, such as the ŠKODA logos, which are discreetly luminous in the dark. Special indicator lights as well as backlit door handles are other examples of the car’s distinctive features. In the dark, ŠKODA logos are projected onto the tarmac from the front and rear bumpers.
The convertible ŠKODA KAROQ student concept car is equipped with a four-cylinder 1.5 TSI engine. This efficient yet powerful unit allows the production ŠKODA KAROQ to reach a top speed of 204 km/h, and to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.4 seconds.
To finish the unique open-top ŠKODA KAROQ, one final decision has yet to be made: the trainees’ project needs to be given a suitable name.
The convertible ŠKODA KAROQ is the latest model in the student car line-up, with which the Czech car manufacturer underlines the high level of quality of its vocational training. The ŠKODA Vocational School in Mladá Boleslav was founded in 1927 and offers three- and four-year training courses in technical subjects leading to either a certificate of proficiency or a school leaving certificate for university access. Currently, more than 900 full-time students are enrolled in the school’s courses.
