KIDS BUILD KAROQ ROADSTER

January 10, 2019 11:50 AM AWST

The Skoda Karoq has been given a radical makeover by a group of 23 teenagers from the Czech car maker’s ‘Skoda Academy’ trade school. Showing the possibilities of the mid-size SUV by creating an open-top version, the ‘Sunroq’ project is the fifth in the now annual tradition of Skoda Academy students building one-off concepts from Skoda’s production models.

While there’s no chance of this creation ever reaching production, it shows that the Land Rover Evoque convertible and upcoming cabriolet version of VW’s T-Roc SUV are influencing current thinking. The Sunroq started with a bare metal Karoq body shell, which the students removed the roof from, also deleting the upper door frames and replacing the area aft of the C-pillar with a bespoke section that includes a high-mount brake light, while the lower half of the tailgate appears to retain its functionality.

The concept retains the Karoq’s four doors, five-seat layout and running gear, including the 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine, which was fitted after the body modifications had been done. Painted in Skoda Velvet Red, with specially-finished wheels and a full custom red-and-white leather interior, the Sunroq is strictly a roadster, with no convertible hood, so dry-weather driving is a must!