Skoda design students have built a Citigo beach buggy

Considering a career in car design? Skoda has an academy where you can learn that sort of thing. If you’re legally classed as an adult, you’re a bit late, we’re afraid, but 17- and 18-year-olds are currently inundating Skoda with requests for the 900 places at its Vocational School. And here is one of the main reasons why: the annual opportunity to design an actual car.

In the past, Skoda’s let its tame millennials dream up a Rapid coupe called the Atero, and a speedster version of the Citigo called the CitiJet. This year, the students have created this: the Element. And yes, it is basically a Citigo with no roof, and no doors. Surf’s up, dudes.

The beach buggy has been dreamt up by a team of 21 students over the course of nine months or so. They’ve had to learn how to manufacture new body panels, due to the lack of roof and boot, and once the body design was finalised, the pupils set about the powertrain. 

Internal combustion? That’s not what Generation Z is into, it seems. That’s why the Element is electric. Under the bonnet, there’s an 80bhp electric motor instead of a three-cylinder petrol engine, which had to come under the overall budget the team was allocated for the project. Which is why the school doesn’t create a V10 supercar every year. Come on Skoda. Just one year, borrow yourselves an Audi R8 and get busy with the spanners, please...

Anyway, what do we reckon to the 1,500 hours-worth of labour that’s gone into the Skoda Element? Better than what the grown-ups are dreaming up these days? If you're currently negotiation the UK's heatwave, we reckon you'll conclude 'yes'...