Skoda re-enters SUV space with Kodiaq

Czech automaker Skoda is finally getting aggressive in the Indian market by re-entering the SUV space with the launch of its seven-seater SUV Kodiaq.

Kodiaq, the company’s premium SUV is priced at ₹34.49 lakh ex-showroom India and is available only in one variant — the full featured top of the line.

Commenting on the reason to launch only the top variant in India, Ashutosh Dixit, Director, Sales, Service & Marketing, Škoda Auto India, told BusinessLine that, “More than 80 per cent of our sales in India are contributed by the top variants. We are a premium player and would like to maintain that. However, we will come out with other variants of Kodiaq with lesser features.”

Skoda, which holds less than one per cent marketshare in India, is taking several measures to become a prominent player in the Indian market. To support this, the company has already made four launches this year, which has helped Skoda grow by 29 per cent in the January-September period against the same period last year.

According to Dixit, Kodiaq will help the company accelerate growth with 4,000-5,000 units expected to be sold in the next one year. “With Kodiaq, we’ll be able to end 2017 (calendar year) with 34 per cent growth,” Dixit said.

But the real growth for Skoda can come only once it enters the mass market or the hatchback segment. For this, the company said it is considering localisation of its MQBA0 small car platform for the Indian market, which will help them to launch a competitively priced small car in India.

“This market (India) will be of significant importance to Skoda’s global strategy. We are currently considering localised MQBA0 platform, which is the entry-level platform of the Volkswagen group. However, a final decision has not yet been taken,” said Skoda Auto Board Member for Finance Klaus-Dieter Schürmann.

Deliveries are expected to begin November 1 onwards.

The company indicated that apart from launching other variants of Kodiaq in India, Skoda will also bring more SUVs to the Indian market. However, it declined to give a time-line for the launch.

It is equipped with a 2.0-TDI engine, which generates 110 kW (150 PS) power and 340 Nm of torque. On average, the engine returns a fuel efficiency of 16.25 kmpl, the company said. The SUV accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 10.1 sec and reaches a top speed of up to 192 km/h.