New 2020 Skoda Octavia sketched

The 2020 Skoda Octavia has been revealed! Well, sort of.

In the lead up to the all-new Octavia's global premiere, official sketches from the European brand show an evolutionary redesign for the popular mid-size family car, which is the brand's best-selling vehicle with over 6.5 million units sold to date.

The fourth-generation Skoda Octavia, or 'O4' as the anoraks call it, will make its global debut in Prague on November 11 in liftback/sedan guise.

The wagon will follow later.

These sketches should be digested with a grain of salt, as the slim-line mirrors, lack of door-handles and wildly oversized 24-inch alloy wheels are about as likely to land on garden-variety (or even RS!) models as snow on the Sahara.

If these sketches are representative of the overall shape of the new 2020 Skoda Octavia, it will have a more flowing, sleeker and sportier appearance than its predecessor, while maintaining the brand's angular design motif.

In a brief press release, Skoda talks about a 'coupé-like roofline' along with a 'distinctive new front section' and 'crystalline elements' for the tail-lights.

As the second new model after the Skoda Scala to incorporate the brand's evolving design ethos, which replaces the rear badge with 'SKODA' lettering and delivers 'a more emotive look', according to the Czech brand, the new Skoda Octavia will also push the tech game forward.

Based on the same new platform architecture (MQB) as the upcoming eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf, the new Octavia will bring more technology to the table including the option of matrix LED headlights and an advanced new infotainment system with bigger touch-screens and next-level internet connectivity.

Powertrain options are tipped to include all the latest gear from the Volkswagen Group's engine arsenal, starting with a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine (85kW/200Nm), with a more efficient 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine (110kW/250Nm) expected to replace the 2.0-litre engines currently available in Australia on current O3 models.

The engine range will top out with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine expected to be available in various guises including standard (140kW/320Nm) and high-performance Octavia RS tunes, the latter all but certain to outgun the current Skoda Octavia RS 245's 180kW/370Nm.

A test mule understood to be fitted with the running gear of the new-gen Octavia RS was recently spotted... bent out of shape.

Potential customers can also expect to find hybrid options in the powertrain line-up and while diesel engine will be offered overseas, it remains to be seen whether they'll come to Australia. The current Octavia range is petrol-only in Australia at present.

Once again front- and all-wheel drive Octavia models will be offered with manual and twin-clutch automatic (DSG) transmissions.

Skoda always prides itself on clever packaging, so expect a few interesting storage cubbies and cargo solutions in the next Octavia too.