Let’s say you’ve got about Rs 8-14 lakh to spend, and you’re a fan of Czech cars, but wait; Skoda doesn’t make anything in that segment, and the Fabia was the last small car produced by the Czech car maker. Well, there’s good news for you! Skoda India has confirmed a compact SUV coming your way in 2025, and you get to name the car!
Actually, you get to choose one name out of the five that has been proposed by Skoda; Kylaq, Kariq, Kymaq, Kyroq, and Kwiq. In fact, the car maker is holding a naming contest online, inviting entries from all across India, allowing customers and fans to name the upcoming compact SUV from Skoda, while keeping the name aligned with the traditional Skoda strategy for its SUVs, beginning with a K and ending with a Q.
The compact SUV from Skoda is going to be a sub-four metre SUV built on the same platform as the Kushaq and the Slavia, i.e the MQB-A0-IN platform. Like the other two, this compact SUV will be made here, and it also will be exported to the rest of the world. However, we are certain that the compact SUV will receive only the 1.0-litre powertrain for the near future, at least, with both manual and automatic transmission options. Given that the Slavia scored five stars in the GNCAP tests held in 2023, we can expect the upcoming compact SUV to perform similarly in terms of safety levels. We can also expect Skoda to focus on driveability and handling, as it did with the Kushaq, making it one of the better handling SUVs in its segment.
The upcoming compact SUV will effectively be the entry-level product in Skoda’s lineup, and it should also help the car maker penetrate deeper in the Indian market, particularly into Tier-3 cities and other smaller towns. With the compact SUV, Skoda also aims to reach an annual sales figure of 100,000 units by 2026. Needless to say, the Skoda compact SUV will have its work cut out, entering a hotly-contested segment comprising the likes of the Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Maruti Suzuki Fronx, Renault Kiger, Nissan Magnite, and the Mahindra XUV300.
Skoda also confirmed the launch of an all-electric vehicle before the compact SUV, which is very likely to be the Enyaq iV showcased at the Bharat Mobility Expo. Are you excited to see Skoda’s compact SUV?
