German car giant Volkswagen Group has had a limited presence in the Indian market despite its huge India 2.0 push as its products are largely only covering the sedan and mid-SUV segments. That is set to change with the group entering the hot and rapidly growing sub-four metre compact sports utility vehicle space.
Czech car maker Skoda on Wednesday took the wraps off its compact SUV Kylaq. This should help the company widen its customer base ad well as tap new markets.
The Skoda Kylaq has been priced aggressively at a starting price of Rs 7.89 lakh ex-showroom.
The full price announcement across variants and trims will be made on December 2, which is when formal bookings will also commence. Customer deliveries are planned from January 27, 2025.
"The Skoda Kylaq is our first sub-4 metre SUV, designed in India and for India as a new entry point to our brand. India is key to our internationalization plans, the world's third largest car market, and SUVs make up 50 per cent of new vehicle sales," said Klaus Zellmer, CEO of Skoda Auto.
The Kylaq will be the third Made in India model by Skoda, which includes the Kushaq mid SUV and the Slavia sedan. It also sells the Kodiaq SUV in the country, which is imported.
The Kylaq joins a crowded compact SUV segment where it will rival the likes of Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Mahindra XUV 3XO, Tata Nexon and Maruti Suzuki Brezza.
Over a two year period of 2022 and 2023, Skoda sold over 1 lakh units. With the Kylaq being launched, Skoda Auto has set a target to annually sell 1 lakh units by 2026.
The Kylaq is powered by a 1 litre TSI engine producing 85 kW of power and 178 Nm of torque. It is mated to a six speed manual or a six speed torque converter automatic transmission. Certain variants will also get paddle shifters.
It is based on the same MQB-AO-IN platform as the Kushaq and Slavia.
The Kylaq will come standard with over 25 active and passive safety features, including six airbags, traction and stability control, anti-lock brakes among other things.