ŠKODA OCTAVIA wins its third Red Dot Award for outstanding product design

› All-new ŠKODA OCTAVIA wows with emotive shapes and dynamic proportions

› Best-seller’s fourth generation nets ŠKODA its 14th Red Dot Award

› 65th edition of the award had panel of international experts judge 6,500 products

Mladá Boleslav, 31 March 2020 – Three’s a charm: following previous nods in 2006 and 2017, the ŠKODA OCTAVIA has once again received the renowned Red Dot Award for outstanding product design, marking its third such win. The ŠKODA best-seller’s all-new fourth generation impressed a jury of around 40 experts from across the globe with its emotive styling, sculpted design elements and elegant, dynamic proportions. The design contest’s 65th edition has thus netted the Czech manufacturer its 14th Red Dot Award for its models. The official handover of the 2020 product design awards is scheduled to take place on 22 June during the Red Dot Gala event in Essen, Germany.

Christian Strube, ŠKODA Board Member for Technical Development, points out: “At ŠKODA we offer our customers outstanding value for money. This is reflected in our vehicles’ spaciousness and great everyday usability as well as a consistent design philosophy whose core elements are ‘Crystalline’ and ‘Surprising’. Winning the Red Dot Award for the all-new ŠKODA OCTAVIA is a very welcome confirmation of the great job our design team is doing.”

The current iteration of the ŠKODA design language is defined by sculptural elements, precise lines and bold surfaces, conveying dynamism and road presence. The new front apron and the sharply defined, slimmed-down headlights, with LED technology for the low beam, high beam and daytime running lights included as standard, provide visual highlights. Optional full-LED Matrix headlights with a distinctive light signature are available as an alternative. The tail lights, brake lights and rear fog lights also come with LED technology. The redesigned, low roof rails emphasise the elongated silhouette of the OCTAVIA COMBI estate, while the saloon has a coupé-like shape. The OCTAVIA’s interior design concept is equally new: in a first for a ŠKODA production model, the best-seller’s new generation features a freestanding, central monitor and even more upmarket materials, complemented by a new multi-level instrument panel and a bold centre console. The redesigned two-spoke steering wheel benefits from a more intuitive button layout and innovative, knurled scroll wheels, for enhanced ergonomics and ease of use.

Around 40 experts assess approximately 6,500 products

The Red Dot Award is among the most prestigious design accolades in the world. Composed of experts from around the globe, the jury brings together independent design professors, industry journalists and designers. This year, they judged each of around 6,500 submitted products live and on-site, based on criteria such as degree of innovation, quality of design, functionality, longevity and environmental impact. 2020 marks the 65 th year in which the Red Dot Award is presented, as a global hallmark of outstanding product design.

For ŠKODA, the all-new, fourth-generation OCTAVIA is the 14 th model to win this coveted award. In the 2019 “Red Dot Award: Brands and Communication Design” event, the Czech car maker also garnered the Red Dot “Brands” award for its successful brand communications.

ŠKODA scored its first Red Dot Award in 2006 with another OCTAVIA, the OCTAVIA II COMBI. And in 2017, that model’s third-generation successor along with the KODIAQ netted ŠKODA two awards in a single year.

Here is an overview of all the award-winning ŠKODA models:

2020 ŠKODA OCTAVIA IV

2019 ŠKODA SCALA

2018 ŠKODA KAROQ

2017 ŠKODA KODIAQ and ŠKODA OCTAVIA III COMBI

2016 ŠKODA SUPERB III

2015 ŠKODA FABIA III

2014 ŠKODA RAPID SPACEBACK

2013 ŠKODA RAPID

2010 ŠKODA SUPERB II and ŠKODA YETI

2008 ŠKODA FABIA II

2007 ŠKODA ROOMSTER

2006 ŠKODA OCTAVIA II COMBI