Skoda Kodiaq Launched In India: Here Is All You Want To Know About The Large SUV

Czech automaker Skoda Auto has launched its most anticipated first 7-seater SUV (sports utility vehicle) – the Skoda Kodiaq, in India on Wednesday (4 October) at a price of Rs 34, 49,501.

With the launch of Skoda Kodiaq, the company has started accepting bookings for the same, and deliveries for the vehicle will initiate from first week of November.

Launching the SUV, Klaus-Dieter Schurmann, Member of the Board of Management, CFO, Finance & IT, Skoda Auto, said “Kodiaq is a real game changer for Skoda. It has successfully launched in Europe. The launch of the vehicle kick starts the company’s SUV campaign in India.”

The SUV celebrated its world premiere on 1 September, 2016 at Kraftwerk Berlin. The name ‘Kodiaq’ refers to the Kodiak bear that lives on the homonymous island off the southern coast of Alaska.

Here is everything that you want to know about Skoda Kodiaq:

1. Powertrain - 2.0L TDI diesel engine, which gives out 150PS of maximum output and is mated with 7-Speed DSG Transmission. The 7-seater has a fuel consumption of 16.25 km/l, and comes with a 4X4 drive with six different modes to select from (Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport, Individual, Snow)

2. Colours – Lava Blue, Quartz Grey, Magic Black, and Moon White

3. Exterior Design - Skoda’s signature grille having double vertical slates, White honeycomb air intake, 3D shape bonnet to give strong SUV character, Sharp edged tornado lines running across entire body of the SUV, Rugged side protector which protects the car from scratches, Rectangular wheel arches, 18’’ trinity alloy wheels, Panoramic electric sunroof extending till the rear seat of the car which opens at the touch of a button, and Black roof rails running across the length of the car

4. Lighting System - Full LED headlights with front adaptive lighting system complemented with LED day running lights, High mounted LED fog lights, Rear LED taillights with C-Shaped illumination, LED brake light, Turn indicator, Rear fog light, and Rear drive light

5. Interior Design - Segment first LED ambient lighting (10 colours), and Foot well illumination

6. Infotainment - Large 8” colour touch screen, Amundsen navigation system, Smartlink (seamless connectivity with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, MirrorLink), Boss Connect which transfers car infotainment system to the mobile, Canton sound system, and 3-zone climatronic with which all passengers can set temperature according to their wish

7. Safety - 9 air bags, Electronic stability control, Multi collision braking, IBuzz fatigue detection, Hands-free parking both parallel and perpendicular

8. Space – Skoda Kodiaq offers 270L – 2,005 L of luggage space

9. Competitors - Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour Volkswagen Tiguan, and Isuzu MU-X

Skoda Auto has delivered 7900 vehicles in India during the first half of 2017; thereby registering a year-on-year growth of 22 per cent. The company attributed this success primarily to the introduction of updated version of Skoda Rapid in November 2016.

During the launch, Ashutosh Dixit, Director – Sales & Marketing, Skoda Auto India, said “We would like to finish this year with 34 per cent growth.”

Talking about the company’s strategy 2025, Schurmann said, “Strategy 2025 is dictated by entering new markets, new segments and gaining new customers. India plays an important role in the strategy and is a promising economy with dynamically evolving automotive industry.”

“We are planning to enter more volume segments. We are currently looking into localized MQB A0 platform which is an entry level platform of our parent Volkswagen Company. However, the final decision has not yet been taken.”