IVET 2024 Innovation Fair
The 8th edition of IVET showcased 36 innovation themes, underscoring Škoda Auto’s commitment to practical advancements. New was a section dedicated to the Indian market and contributions from Group colleagues. The event also featured the presentation of the Elroq. From Simply Clever solutions to technical breakthroughs, the fair continued the tradition of innovations designed with customers in mind.
IVET 2024: India, discerning customers and awards
This year’s IVET innovation fair showcased the wide range of innovations being developed, not only at Škoda Auto.
The eighth annual IVET innovation fair, which took place from 5 to 8 November in Bezděčín, focused on 36 innovation themes and offered a broader scope than ever before. In fact, the IVET fair continues to evolve and highlights Škoda Auto’s increasingly intense emphasis on practical innovations for its customers. A key addition this year was the inclusion of topics from Group colleagues and a completely new section dedicated to innovations tailored to the Indian market.
The presented innovations definitely feature the Škoda brand’s DNA and are very well selected.
Johannes Neft
Board Member for Technical Development
Innovation incubator
The fair upheld its strong tradition of presenting and supporting innovations with the potential to reach customers. IVET has consistently proved itself as an incubator for commercially viable solutions. Projects that were still under wraps last year have since become publicly available – for example, the MyŠkoda widget applications, which iOS and Android users can now add to their phones. “Last year, the widget was one of the presented projects, and since the beginning of this year, it has been available to all users. Similarly, a new feature in the Traffication application in the car’s infotainment portfolio – providing information when crossing a border – is now about to be launched,” said Pavel Barcal, Innovation Manager of the EE – Development energy systems & digital car department. This year’s 36 innovation themes reflected not only contributions from Škoda Auto departments but also new insights from other Group participants. “We welcomed our colleagues from Group Innovation and Cariad. For the first time, Škoda Motorsport representatives also participated in the fair, presenting their concept of the Enyaq RS Race competition special, which demonstrated the use of non-traditional materials,” said Petr Šedivý, Innovation Manager of Technical Development. Another eye-catching exhibit was the new Elroq electric car on display right at the entrance, which had its world premiere in the previous weeks. This vehicle featured innovations that IVET had originally shown at past fairs, such as the under-plate net for cable storage.
The opportunity to present innovations that will become part of future Škoda cars makes enormous sense. This is the only way Škoda Auto can provide its customers with new cars featuring plenty of meaningful and surprising features, which is precisely one of the IVET fair’s objectives.
Petr Šedivý
Innovation Manager of Technical Development
A show of practicality
IVET 2024 highlighted innovations across various areas, including autonomous driving, infotainment, connectivity, exterior and interior lighting and a host of practical accessories. These innovations could become standard or optional features or serve as standalone accessories. Many of the solutions fit the popular Simply Clever philosophy. As always, there were not only static displays but also two driving demonstrations of technical innovations that could appear in Škoda cars in the near future. One demonstration focused on simplifying the choice of direction of travel, while the other concerned parking. “After the recent wave of software innovations, there was a noticeable shift towards traditional solutions at IVET,” says Miloš Jambor, Innovation Manager of the EK – Development bodysystem department. The fair also reflected a clear emphasis on the carmaker’s newly defined target group, the Everyday Explorers.
Inventors Award
For the first time, the Inventors Award was part of the fair this year. This award recognises Škoda Auto employees who hold patents. The inventors and their patents were personally acknowledged by Johannes Neft, Board Member for Technical Development, and Marek Jancák, Head of the PF – Car Production department, representing Production and Logistics.
Tip
Do you have any new ideas? Would you like to get involved in other innovation projects? Do you need someone to discuss the state of innovation in current car projects? Contact the innovation team members at any time. You can find their contact details in the Inovation > Inovation Management Team section on Škoda Space.
We have selected the most interesting innovations
Innovations for India
In the Indian market, solutions must account for numerous specific conditions, including coping with a harsher climate and intense monsoon rains. Innovations to reduce interior overheating and improve air quality in the car were featured. Enhancements to rear seat passenger comfort were also highlighted, as these seats are often occupied by the car’s owner in India. Another clever detail was the potential improvement of the talisman compartment, a special feature of Škoda cars designed for the Indian market.
Easy solutions
Sustainability at IVET extended beyond electric cars to include solutions made from innovative materials, as well as ideas for simplifying production and making it easier to recycle individual car parts. The innovations concerning headlight functionality, which visitors could see in detail in virtual reality, were interesting as well. In addition, a solution designed to make camping significantly easier attracted considerable attention.
3D printing
As in the previous year, the fair featured several solutions created using 3D printing. The carmaker envisions that this technology could allow customers to enhance or personalise their cars with ease. “It doesn’t always have to be groundbreaking innovations – sometimes, it’s enough to use already known ideas. The key is that the solution is tailored to our cars and, above all, meets all the requirements in terms of quality, durability and safety,” explained Michal Šimek, Projectmanager innovations of cars from the ES/1 – Innovations and requirementsmanagement department and the main organiser of the IVET trade fair.
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