Though not absolutely developed by the Volkswagen Group, the Felicia was the primary Skoda to learn from German engineering know-how. Launched in 1994 as a substitute for the Favorit, it remained on sale till the Fabia arrived on the flip of the century. Throughout its six-year run, the subcompact hatchback was supplied in a number of physique types, together with a pickup. That model even spawned the quirky Felicia Enjoyable, of which solely 4,216 items had been ever constructed.
Marketed on the time as a leisure car, the Felicia Enjoyable’s occasion piece was a sliding rear partition behind the entrance seats. When moved to the again, it created area for a pair of rear seats whereas nonetheless leaving room for cargo. A canvas roof protected passengers driving within the open rear part. Skoda additionally fitted a rear spoiler and painted all examples vivid yellow, though patrons might add a splash of individuality with inexperienced or orange accents on sure physique panels.
Picture by: Skoda
Quick-forward to 2025, and the Felicia Enjoyable is again, although not in the way in which you bear in mind it. Skoda has revived the cheerful trucklet as a digital idea. The one-off is a part of the model’s “Icons Get a Makeover” collection, which additionally contains the beforehand talked about Favorit. French designer Julien Petitseigneur reinterpreted the mannequin utilizing Skoda’s “Fashionable Stable” design language, giving the diminutive truck a recent look whereas staying trustworthy to its Nineties roots.
He envisioned a “cool seashore vibe” and even created an inside. Naturally, for 2025, the cabin is dominated by screens, but the blocky dashboard nods to the previous by resembling chunky CRT screens. Nostalgia runs deeper with graphics impressed by video video games that many people grew up taking part in.
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Supply: Skoda
In contrast to the unique, nonetheless, the reborn Felicia Enjoyable is strictly a two-seater, abandoning its predecessor’s 2+2 structure in favor of additional cargo area. Even so, it’s a intelligent experiment, although solely a digital one. In as we speak’s business, the place bean counters name the pictures, it’s unlikely the VW Group would ever approve one other playful pickup like this.
Skoda hasn’t constructed a pickup because the Felicia bowed out. Within the 2010s, the corporate thought of providing its personal model of the Amarok, however the venture by no means materialized. Earlier this 12 months, nonetheless, college students from its vocational college remodeled the Excellent flagship right into a one-off pickup with a bizarre door and a sliding tailgate designed to hold a motorbike rack.
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