Skoda, a long-time supporter of ice hockey, thought of an unconventional way to commemorate NHL’s ninth visit to Europe, creating two special vehicles as four-wheeled mascots for the teams – the Enyaq iV-Based Sharyaq for the San Jose Sharks, and the Kodiaq-Based Prediaq for the Nashville Predators.
Interestingly, Skoda patented the weird Sharyaq and Prediaq names, creating a false rumor about upcoming models in the automotive press. The SUVs have received the full mascot treatment with special liveries and large add-ons to the bodywork, inspired by the Sharks’ SJ Sharkie and the Predators’ Gnash. Those 3D features include teeth on the front bumper and wheel arches, a shark fin/hair on the roof, and a mane/tail on the tailgate.
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According to Vítězslav Pelc, the Skoda employee who was responsible for the conversions, the 3D features were built in collaboration with a partner, made of “a flexible ribbed composite structure” using “polyurethane foam of varying hardness” which allows the tails to “wiggle naturally”. He also explained the choice of the vehicles saying that they wanted two models similar in size, with a contrast between EV and ICE powertrains.
Predictably, the mascots are painted on the colors of each team’s jerseys, with a blue/black theme for the Sharyaq and a yellow/white/black theme for the Prediaq. As part of the 2022 NHL Global Series, San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators will face off two times on October 7 and 8 in Prague, Czech Republic.
