Skoda Felicia Fun pick-up reinvented using AI for… fun!

Remember the Skoda Felicia Fun? Produced between 1997 and 2000, just 4,216 were built – each was a bright yellow, lifestyle-oriented pick-up truck conceived almost entirely for the western-European market. Now, the low-slung ute has been reinvented for the electric age using AI-generated brainstorming.

Skoda says its designers have “drawn inspiration from the brand’s rich history to create a contemporary interpretation of the legendary car”. While some may question that claim, the modern model’s associations with the original are plain to see. Finished in the same signature yellow paint, it utilises a similar two-door body with a load bed out the back.

The original’s bull bar has been replaced by a slotted front end similar to those found on the Skoda Epiq and Skoda Vision 7S concept, while the clamshell bonnet is already in use on production models like the Elroq and Enyaq. The solid yellow B-pillar has been carried over, complimented by a modern interpretation of the fixed rear spoiler. A full-width pink lightbar adds a further contemporary touch, with the colour also appearing on the numberplate, windows, wheels, and bumpers.

You can’t buy the Felicia Fun concept and there are only around 80 of the original pick-ups still on the road in the UK. There are, however, plenty of Skodas available via the Auto Express Buy A Car service.

Disappointingly, designer Julien Petitseigneur decided not to include the first Felicia Fun’s sliding rear partition or folding second-row seats in the concept car. Skoda says that “while the concept could certainly accommodate them, [Petitseigneur’s] priority when sketching was to capture the ‘cool beach vibe’ in a form that would fit naturally within Skoda’s current line-up.”

We’ve only been issued a single sketch of the interior so far, which features a huge CRT monitor-inspired screen that stretches the entire width of the dashboard. Elsewhere, there’s a high centre console and yellow seats, plus a squared-off steering wheel with pink Skoda lettering in the middle.

The design process started rather unconventionally, with Petitseigneur and his team using it as an opportunity to experiment with AI tools. “I researched the car, then tested different prompts and tweaked them in AI to create initial concepts that captured the spirit of the original,” he said. “This allowed me to explore possible directions quickly and decide how to proceed.”

Following this, Petitseigneur developed the details and intricacies by hand: “AI outputs are always quite rough – more like outlines. I applied my own style to the chosen concept and refined it thoroughly” he said.

As it stands, the new Felicia Fun is a purely computer-generated study with no plans for a physical concept car or production model. Shame, we’d have loved to have seen the quirky pick-up adding some much needed colour to UK showrooms in the future.

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