SINCE its resurgence under the VW umbrella, Skoda's cars have hardly been noted for oozing sexy design - but all that is about to change.

Cars like the Fabia and Octavia have been neat enough but have always given the impression of putting function ahead of flowing form. But now Skoda is providing a glimpse of a more stylish future.

These are what Skoda calls "rough" sketches of a concept car which is destined to be the star of its' display at the Paris motor show in October - and they reveal styling which is considerably more raunchy and aerodynamic than anything which has come out of the Czech company's design studios before.

But the Vision RS concept is not just a design exercise - the company says that it provides a first glimpse of a future sporting compact model which more than likely means that you're looking at the 2019 replacement for the existing Skoda Rapid.

With dynamic styling it's certainly a design worthy of the Rapid name. The front is precisely defined with a deep splitter with large air scoops and slim LED headlights, there are distinct crease lines at the bottom of the doors and along the waistline, while the back-end is dominated by full-width LED lighting, a diffuser and a large roof spoiler.

There's also more than a hint from Skoda of a hot version - the company says that the Vision RS also provides a taste of the next design phase of its RS performance models.