Skoda reveals concept campervan

Designer Daniel Hájek has taken a classic Skoda 1203 van and reimagined it as a campervan of the future based on the VW Transport (Skoda is part of the VW Group).

It is unlikely the concept will ever make production, though in his vision the “new” 1203 is a campervan with a pop top roof.

“This kind of car has been gaining in popularity recently, so in the end that’s the kind of design I went for,” says Daniel.

The 1203 was the most widely used Czechoslovak utility vehicle of the twentieth century. It was first unveiled on 14 September 1968. In Daniel’s vision, the new 1203 stands on the Transporter platform but it could easily be all-electric as well. “An electric car would allow for an even better use of space,” he says.

The interior is dominated by a minimalist dashboard, which also features distinctive horizontal articulation, and a horizontal two-spoke steering wheel. The shelf in the shape of an upside-down wing in the lower part of the dashboard is also a nod to the historic 1203. This shelf contains storage space and, interestingly, is retractable. “A slide-out shelf could get in the way in a normal car, but in a van it’s practical.”

As far as infotainment is concerned, at first sight it might seem that Daniel failed to capitalise on his special skills. As a designer of user interfaces, his work deals with the appearance and functioning of infotainment systems, but his 1203 doesn’t actually have one. “The idea is that the driver uses his own device, like a smartphone or tablet, to access this information,” says Daniel, adding that he could, of course, design a special app for these devices to control the vehicle’s functions.

The dashboard only has a small information display behind the steering wheel and next to the ventilation vents. The display is mirrored by a plate bearing the model's name in front of the passenger seat.