SHANGHAI MOTOR SHOW: Skoda shows off Vision E

A historical moment for Skoda at the Shanghai Motor Show as, for the first time in its 122-year history, a pure-electric car concept was revealed.

Called the Skoda Vision E study the SUV coupe has been created to preview a pure-electric car set for launch in 2020.

Based on the Volkswagen Group's new MEB electric car architecture, the Vision E is 4.69m long, 1.92m wide, stands 1.59m tall and boasts a long 2.85m wheelbase.

Packing two electric motors driving each axle, in total, the Skoda SUV produces a healthy 225kW.

Skoda hasn't revealed how quick the Vision E accelerates but says top speed is 180km/h.

Also unknown is precisely what type of batteries Skoda will employ in its first pure-electric car, but the Czech car maker has confirmed they will be "powerful lithium ion cells" providing a range between recharges of up to 500km.

Once launched, Skoda says owners will be able to charge their Vision E via wireless charging pads. Quick charging is also possible and an 80 per cent charge is delivered in only 30 minutes.

The ground-breaking first EV will also come with Skoda's latest autonomous driving aids allowing independent operation in traffic jams and on the highway plus automatic locating of parking spaces in urban environments.

Inside, the concept previews an interior consisting of four individual seats which are slightly raised and can rotate by up to 20 degrees. The seats combine with the rear-hinged doors and pillar-less construction for easy entry/exit.

New advanced gesture control including eye tracking for the driver simplifies navigation through the the next-generation 12-inch infotainment system.

Skoda has already announced that it will launch five pure-electric cars by 2025 and confirmed a plug-in hybrid version of the Superb will be on sale by 2019.