Skoda Joyster concept (2006): first official pictures

Skoda Joyster: the lowdown

This is the Joyster, the hideously-named, beautifully-designed precursor to a Citroen C2 rival from Skoda. The Czechs are exploring a cheap city car aimed at young customers, which would sit in the range beneath the five-door Fabia. Skoda is hoping to lead development of this car, which could be paired with Volkswagen's Fox replacement and perhaps a new Seat. Just don’t expect anything before 2009 at the earliest.
How it looks

Great, quite frankly. The sub-4m Joyster is compact, muscular and the body has more sculpture than Henry Moore. Some of the design cues are shared with the imminent new Fabia, such as the face, blacked out windscreen pillars and swept up rear window. The chrome grille is trad Skoda, but the LED headlamps, contoured bonnet and detailed radiator grille give the nose a handsome yet assertive look. The rear screen is underlined by a striking lamp bar. This section divides in two, with the fold-down tailgate incorporating fold up seats so that you can sit al fresco.