SKODA ATERO: SKODA Vocational Students Build Dream Coupé

​“Just like its predecessors, the ŠKODA ATERO highlights our students’ high level of technological expertise and manual skills. Our thanks go to everyone who has supported the project,” said ŠKODA Board Member for Human Resources, Bohdan Wojnar.

Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA Board Member for Production, added, “This project demonstrates what our students are capable of. The young people work with great zeal and commitment. Once again, the result is a great, emotive and unique vehicle that the colleagues involved can be very proud of.”

The students have built a fully functional, unique car – in doing so, ŠKODA is continuing a tradition which is still in its infancy. In 2014, a team of students developed the ultra-compact CitiJet convertible. The FUNSTAR pickup followed in 2015. The aim of the project is to promote the students’ expertise and creativity.

The students started work on the ŠKODA ATERO at the end of 2015. The team of 26 from the ŠKODA vocational school in Mladá Boleslav – four young women and 22 young men – developed and implemented the concept together with the support of the instructors, Technical Development, Design and Production departments. “This was a unique occasion for everyone to meet new people, to form new friendships across all professions, and to test and put theoretical knowledge into practice,” said the spokesman for the student team Dan Voce, adding “This project took about 1700 working hours to complete, and we are all very proud of the result.”

Measuring 4.3 metres in length, the ŠKODA ATERO is a compact, two-door coupé. It is hard to imagine the vehicle that provided the basis for the design was actually the ŠKODA Rapid Spaceback; the conversion was even more comprehensive than those of the two previous ‘student cars’. The B-pillars have been moved to the rear, the C-pillars’ incline is sharper. The sloping roofline begins at an earlier point, whilst the window edge behind the doors points upwards.

Other components have also undergone complex alterations. Vents add structure to the bonnet and the doors have been extended. The tailgate is aligned with the new angle of the C-pillars and sports a long edge spoiler; the tail lights have also been modified. The rear bumper surrounds the large tailpipes of the exhaust system, which comes from the ŠKODA OCTAVIA RS. A large air vent is integrated into the front bumper. The ŠKODA ATERO’s headlights feature LED technology with red backlights.

The 1.4 l TSI engine (92 kW/125 PS) and the 7-speed DSG gearbox have colour changes, the team of students made considerable changes to the chassis. The 18-inch wheels in the ‘Turini’ design come from the ŠKODA OCTAVIA. They are painted black with red stripes. Ventilated, manually perforated brake discs sit behind the front wheels.

The ŠKODA ATERO is painted in metallic Black Magic, accessories (wing, spoiler, sills) come in Corrida Red; the radiator grille, air intake and diffuser insert are also surrounded by red contours. In the interior, red lighting creates a sporty atmosphere; ambient lighting with LED technology adds highlights. A 1,800-watt audio amplifier powers 14 speakers. Located in the boot, the subwoofer alone has a 400-watt output.

With the ŠKODA ATERO project, the Czech car manufacturer underlines the high quality of their vocational training. The ŠKODA vocational school was founded in 1927 and offers three- and four-year training courses in technical subjects, leading to either an apprenticeship diploma or a school leaving certificate for university access. Currently, almost 900 full-time students, 14 per cent of whom are women, are enrolled in 14 vocational courses. Around 100 employees are currently improving their existing qualifications with further training courses. Upon successful completion, all graduates of the ŠKODA vocational school are offered a job at ŠKODA.