23 students of the Skoda vocational school spent 8 months on a project creating a concept car. The outcome? The Skoda Sunroq. A modified version of the Skoda Karoq, a compact SUV. The car has been praised for various design highlights, including the attention to lighting and removal of the roof. A prominent feature was the colour scheme; the exterior being a variant of the company’s ‘Velvet-Red’ colour with the custom-designed upholstery in white and red leather which provides the cabriolet with an aesthetically appealing appearance.
A team of 23 students of the Skoda vocational school, all aged between 17 and 23, worked on and released the Sunroq in a span of 8 months. The students were from 7 different fields of study, all receiving aid and assistance from both their teachers (at the vocational school), as well as Skoda experts (from departments such as Design, Production, and Technical development. The team used a Skoda Karoq, a compact SUV, as the base of the car, altering and adjusting parts of the car until they were satisfied with the product.
The students began by reinforcing the Karoq’s framework and body and uprooting the fixed-roof. This called for a complete reformulation of the design of the tailgate, as well as reshaping all four doors. The trunk of the car is actually larger than that of the Karoq (which was measured at about 521 litres in volume). Both the front and rear bumpers were reworked, and the team finished their amendments to the body by developing new door trims while the seatbelts were rerouted through the front seats. Apart from the height, which is now 1480mm, there are no changes in the exterior dimensions over the Karoq.
The car has a velvet-red paint finish, which, coupled with the red and white leather seating/upholstery, provides an eye catching colour scheme and an assertive appearance. The team also spent time on the smaller details of the car, especially the lighting. The door handles and wheel arches all feature miniature LEDs to provide substantial backlighting. The Skoda logos, which were present at key points in and around the interior, were updated from emitting a subtle glimmer to projecting the Skoda logo from the doors, both bumpers, and the luggage compartment door (when opened) onto the tarmac.
The Sunroq is powered by a 1.5 TSI 4-cylinder engine, which provides 161bhp and 279Nm of maximum torque. The Sunroq can stretch its legs all the way up to 195kmph and accelerate from 0-100 in 8.6 seconds. The team also revisited the design for the Skoda Octavia RS to use the same shock-absorbers, lowering the car body by about 50 mm. The 20 inch alloy wheels and exhaust system complete the sporty look of the car.
The team had left this choice to the public. A multitude of suggestions and proposals were submitted by the public through various social media channels. However, the most appealed suggestion was Sunroq. It was chosen due to the car’s roofless design, essentially making it a Karoq with an open roof. The author of the name received an invitation to the official presentation of the car, as well as to take the working concept vehicle for a test drive.
The Skoda Auto Vocational School is located in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic and is responsible for the development and training of all Skoda Auto employees. The students have designed, built, and successfully produced five concept cars in the last 5 years (including the Sunroq).
Michal Bydžovský, One of the 23 students on the team, said “It’s a great feeling to be able to present the SUNROQ to the public. The last eight months have been a great challenge for the entire team, but I think we have done a great job.”
The head of the Skoda Academy, Carsten Brandes, had this to say “The result of this project demonstrates the
quality of the professional training that the students receive at the ŠKODA Vocational School. You
can clearly see the competence of our students and how much passion has gone into producing the
SUNROQ.”
Visit the official webpage of the Skoda Sunroq here