With the Czech brand Skoda taking the charge of operations in India post the reorganization that the Volkswagen Group went through in the country, the company has also spoken about the launch plans of the vehicles that it will bring to the Indian market. The brand is all set to launch two new SUVs in India and these will be the Karoq and Kamiq. The two SUVs will be placed in different segments but none of them will be placed above the brand’s flagship SUV Karoq in India. The company talked about the launch timing of the two SUVs and Karoq will be launched in India in the middle months of 2020 whereas the Kamiq will arrive in India in 2021. As far as the placement of the two SUVs in the market is concerned, the upcoming Karoq will be placed in the mid-size SUV segment. It will take on the likes of Jeep Compass and upcoming MG Hector in the market. The Kamiq will be placed in the compact SUV segment in India and will take on the likes of Hyundai Creta and Nisaan Kicks.
By 2025, the brand aims to reach a sales target of 1 lakh vehicles per year in India with the upcoming SUVs, but it seems a tall climb for the brand as the Czech maker saw a negative growth in the last financial year. Even if the sales of Volkswagen are combined with the Czech brand’s they fall way short of the target that the brand has set. However, 2025 is a good 6 years away and the company is pinning a lot of its hopes on these two SUVs whose names have been derived from the language spoken by the Inuits of northern Canada and Greenland. Apart from these two SUVs, the company will also bring many other facelifts and model replacements to the market under their India 2.0 strategy. Apart from launching new models and expanding its portfolio, the brand also aims to heavily localize the car production in order to price the models more aggressively.
Kamiq, the new compact SUV from Skoda will challenge Hyundai Creta and Nissan Kicks in the Indian market. The brand will place it as a more premium option in the compact SUV segment. Kamiq will be built on the modified MQB platform that has been altered for developing markets such as Brazil and India. Kamiq to be showcased in India at Auto Expo next year.
With the Karoq, the Czech maker Skoda towill offer more premium option in the high-end mid-size SUV segment. The CKD route that the brand will take with the Karoq will make the car very expensive in India. However, there are hopes that the company will build the SUV in India in the future. Karoq to lock horns with Jeep Compass and Hyundai Tucson in India. Engine options may include 1.5L turbo petrol and 2L diesel unit, but rumors of a 1.6L engine with DSG gearbox are also doing rounds on internet.