Entering more mass-market segments, an aggressive EV plan and fully utilising its India base seem to be at the core of the carmaker's plans
A more ambitious India plan for Skoda is that of a low-cost electric vehicle (EV).
Skoda Auto's India outpost, Skoda Volkswagen India, sold 4,232 cars in September with its two mainstream brands Skoda and Volkswagen. This may seem small fry in light of the Japanese and Korean giants that dominate this industry, but there seems to be a plan at play here.
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the Skoda brand in Vietnam, Martin Jahn, board member for sales and marketing at Skoda Auto, gave some insights into the firm’s plans for the Indian market.
Jahn says Skoda will stick to the MQB architecture for the new SUV, and use a different variant of the architecture, since an even more low-cost, India-specific architecture isn’t viable. The MQB architecture’s flexibility, its proven effectiveness and the high levels of localisation it has managed to achieve with Slavia and Kushaq give Skoda the confidence to continue with this architecture.
It can be assumed that quite a few components will be shared with Slavia and Kushaq. So, expect to see the localised 1-litre, turbo-petrol engine with the 6-speed, manual and torque-converter gearboxes. A good list of features is also expected as is a high degree of safety.