Škoda Auto India has announced an all-new compact SUV as the next step of its product offensive in the country after Kushaq and Slavia. The strategically important new car in the popular compact segment – developed and built in India – will strengthen Škoda Auto’s position in the market and further accelerate the company’s internationalisation strategy. The sub 4 metre SUV will debut in India in the first half of 2025.
The new model will be the brand’s entry level product in India and intends on winning new customer groups in the strategically important compact segment. As a sub 4 metre SUV, the car uses the excise benefits for under 4-metre cars available in India and the car manufacturer will pass on these benefits to customers when it comes to pricing.
To directly involve customers and fans in the market even before the car hits the road in the first half of 2025, Škoda Auto India announced the #NameYourSkoda campaign. The car maker shared seven registered names with the public but also encourages customers to suggest their naming ideas for the new compact SUV. The final name after this participative approach will be officially announced later this year.
The new compact SUV will be the third Škoda product on the MQB-A0-IN platform and will forward the same Škoda DNA of superior driving dynamics and safety as the other two locally developed and produced models Kushaq and Slavia. The platform was developed jointly by teams in India and the Czech Republic with a focus on high localisation, low cost of ownership, and quick turnaround times. It is the first platform developed by the company outside of Europe and tailormade for the Indian market. The platform enables the use of efficient engines and advanced safety systems, specifically for the Indian market and to meet the country’s new, stricter safety and emission requirements.
The MQB-A0-IN platform has already proven its mettle in India and the world with the Kushaq and Slavia earning a full 5-stars for adult and child occupants in Global NCAP crash tests in October 2022 and April 2023 respectively. They were the first cars in India to be tested under the then newer and stricter test protocols of Global NCAP and the first to earn 5 stars for both adults and children.
Activities in the Indian market are part of Škoda Auto's Next Level Strategy. Škoda aims to sell 100,000 Škoda vehicles annually in India by 2026, become the best-selling European brand by 2030 and achieve a five percent market share for all Volkswagen Group brands as part of its responsibility for the region. Škoda Auto is rapidly expanding its internationalisation strategy and leverages synergies in the export of vehicles produced in India to the ASEAN and Middle East regions.