Skoda has just unveiled its first-ever sub-4m compact SUV for the Indian market to enter the brutally competitive space
The Skoda Kylaq has been unveiled with the familiar turbo petrol engine and there are no reports about a diesel mill. Kylaq is the brand’s first SUV with these dimensions. Note that India is Skoda’s largest market outside Europe. Furthermore, India is the world’s third-largest automobile market. Within this industry, the mass market SUVs, like compact SUVs, have seen immense demand in the last few years. Therefore, to gain access to a much larger range of potential customers, Skoda has decided to take the plunge and enter this rapidly expanding, but extremely challenging space.
Will Skoda Kylaq Get A Diesel Engine?
The details of this case stem from CNBC-TV18 on YouTube. The Skoda Auto India Brand Director, Petr Janeba, is in conversation with the news presenter. After talking about the plans with the Kylaq and the commencement of production on December 2, 2024, the reporter asks him about other powertrain options like naturally aspirated petrol and diesel mills. To this, Petr mentions that Skoda is happy with the peppy turbo petrol engine which strikes a great balance between performance and fuel efficiency.
He says that a naturally aspirated petrol engine’s characteristics don’t sit well with Skoda’s philosophy and legacy of creating peppy and driving-focused vehicles. However, with regard to diesel, he says that the Czech carmaker didn’t want to offer everything from the beginning. Firstly, they will launch the Kylaq with the same engine as the Kushaq to share development and manufacturing costs. Once they analyse the behaviour and demands of the customers, they will take the next step. Hence, we won’t get the diesel mill from the start, but it could eventually arrive at a later stage if there is enough demand.
My View
Skoda has worked hard on bringing the ownership costs down in the last few years, a complaint many potential buyers and existing Skoda car owners harboured. To this point, Petr even said that there is a little surprise which will surface on December 2. Due to heavy localization, the costs of spare parts and services will go down dramatically. Finally, there are plans to increase the Skoda touchpoints from the current 260 to 350 by next year. Hence, the Czech auto giant is going all guns blazing to improve its footprint in the country. Let us keep an eye out for further developments in this case.
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Also Read: New Skoda Kylaq vs Hyundai Venue – What’s Different?
