Road to Stockholm with the KAROQ, Part 1: Czechia

Follow the unique journey of a camouflaged KAROQ from its hometown to the world premiere. Here is the first part of its trip, which started in the Czech Republic.

17. 5. 2017 MODELS KAROQ

Modesty and simplicity

What links an ancient glass tradition and a successful Czech carmaker with more than a hundred years of history? Above all, its approach to the craft. “Glass is not just for the chosen ones; it brings value and beauty to all people in the world. Even if they don’t realize it, they still feel it. Everyone likes to drink good wine from a beautiful glass. You could even drink it from the bottle, but the experience would be quite different,” explains Jiří Hadaščok.

The combination of both worlds also marks the fact that the ŠKODA brand looks for a balance between value, everyday usability, and emotional design. “Water is simple, clean and beautiful. But maybe even too ordinary for somebody. When you look at a diamond, you will find similarly genuine purity, simplicity and beauty, but at a completely different price. For us it’s the crystal glass that offers the right balance somewhere in between,” he adds.

Renowned glassworks began in the Bohemian Mountains during the 13th century, and their main customers became the monasteries, towns, and important noble families. The birth of Bohemian crystal and the development of artistic and crafted glassworks in the following centuries helped spread their fame worldwide. Czech glassmaking companies still rank among the world’s top companies today. Designer Jiří Hadaščok confirms that inspiration by glass has played its part in designing the shape of ŠKODA KAROQ.

Design is part of life

Even before Alex sets out in his camouflaged KAROQ to his next stop on his big trip from Mladá Boleslav to Stockholm, he took a chance to “stand in a designer’s shoes” in the Lasvit showroom in Prague. Together with Jiří Hadaščok, using a glass model, he tried to capture the seemingly simple but in fact relatively refined shape that customers will find in headlights.

“When you draw, you’re not thinking about the pencil or your hands. You’re only thinking about what you do. We want people to use our cars the same way. Just as their favourite armchair, for example. To be a space where kids can play, families travel to enjoy their holidays and our cars become a natural part of their life,” continues Hadaščok as he skillfully draws the outlines of headlights. “In the glassworks, people put their art, ideas, and experiences into crystal. Similarly, we are also trying to get the same into our cars,” Hadaščok says at the end of this short design meeting.

The new KAROQ unexpectedly appears in Prague

The anxiously awaited ŠKODA KAROQ is heading from Mladá Boleslav to its world premiere in Stockholm. Its first stop on its unique nearly 1,600-kilometer long trip was the historical centre of Prague. The Czech people have traditionally been very proud of their home brand, so the masked prototype of the compact SUV on the banks of the Vltava River naturally attracted attention. And because people all over the world have come to love the practical SUVs in recent years, even the foreign visitors were surprised. It was the first time that the car approached the public within touching distance. “It’s really nice. We’d have no problem driving such a car back home,” said a couple who came to Prague from Hawaii. One visitor from China was taken by the camouflage – he would like his own KAROQ in this very combination.

Let it come already!
“People most often ask about the size of the car and the price. I was surprised, however, by how many people have already decided that the KAROQ will be their next car,” says Alex, who set off with the camouflaged car on a multi-day road trip for fans. The price of this new model will remain close to its predecessor, so for approximately the same money customers will get significantly more – in terms of the car itself and an entirely new technology. Inside, there’s noticeably more room for passengers and luggage – the trunk now ranges from 510 to 1,630 liters.

Drivers of these thoroughly masked test cars usually have one main task – to stay out of the way and not to allow anyone to get too close to the car. Every photo taken of such a prototype is then worth gold. This time, however, everything is completely the opposite. The ŠKODA KAROQ has been shown to people on its almost 1,600-kilometer-long ride from Mladá Boleslav to Stockholm and can be photographed by everyone. Alex, the driver, received clear instructions – smile, answer all the questions, and meet with as many ŠKODA fans as possible.

A unique opportunity

Safety measures around the testing prototypes sometimes seem more like the protection created for a nuclear submarine. A team of specially trained professionals looks after the safety of the machines, and only carefully selected people on a special list may approach the car. That's why Alex's journey to his fans before the world premiere of the ŠKODA KAROQ is so extraordinary. The Mladá Boleslav ŠKODA carmaker is changing the rules of the game from the ground up.

Alex is a globetrotter. A Canadian from Montréal, he lived in China for 9 years and has now fallen in love with Europe. He lives in Prague, which, together with Berlin, is his favourite popular city. He speaks both English and Mandarin and is also learning Spanish because of his girlfriend. And since it seems that he’ll be in the beautiful Czech Republic for a while, he’s also thinking about learning some Czech. He loves hockey, plays with a band in Prague clubs, and if he weren’t real, you’d have to make him up. This is Alex Montyro, the man we’ve entrusted with the car keys from the rare prototype of the ŠKODA KAROQ.