According to Autocar India, Skoda will introduce a new small urban SUV early next year. This will be a completely new product and will be assembled in India.
Autocar also reports that Skoda’s new SUV will compete in the same segment as the Hyundai Venue and Kia Sonet. This means it will also have another competitor, the Toyota Raize.
Illustration of Skoda’s SUV. Photo: Autocar
Autocar quotes Skoda Auto Volkswagen India CEO Piyush Arora as saying: “Localization is one of the main tasks we want to accomplish with this new SUV. I’m confident that we can offer a price that meets the market’s expectations.”
Thanks to localization as well as being under 4 meters in length, Skoda’s new A-segment SUV will enjoy tax benefits, promising an attractive price to compete with other mass-market models in the same segment.
Skoda’s small SUV will have a length of less than 4 meters, competing with the Raize and Sonet. Photo: Car&bike
Currently, there is not much information available about this SUV. According to Autocar, this model will have a high level of localization in India to reduce production costs. The SUV will also utilize some components and parts from the Kushaq, a small SUV that was previously planned to be assembled in Vietnam. These components may include seats, suspension systems, entertainment systems, control equipment, etc.
The powertrain for this small SUV is expected to be a 1.0L TSI and a 1.5L TSI (petrol, turbocharged). However, the 1.0L version seems more feasible for a small-sized vehicle like this, even though the 1.5L engine used to be favored by many people in the past.
According to Autocar, Skoda’s A-segment SUV will not only be sold in India but also exported to global markets, including Mexico, countries in Africa, and Southeast Asia. Vietnam is mentioned as one of the Southeast Asian markets.
Vietnam is an important market for Skoda in Southeast Asia.
Currently, Skoda has a factory in Vietnam. The company’s previous announcement did not include any plans to assemble a small SUV. However, it is entirely possible for Skoda to bring an A-segment SUV to the Vietnamese market, as this segment is gradually gaining popularity with the recent launches of the Venue, Raize, and Sonet.
