Skoda Cars

Key Highlights of Skoda Cars

About Skoda

History

Czech carmaker Skoda Auto has its roots tracing back to over 120 years. It started making vehicles in the 1930s, but in 1991, it became a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. 

Skoda began its operations in India in late 2001, and launched its first car, the Octavia sedan, in 2002. It was initially imported in semi knock-down kits and assembled locally in the country. Now Skoda’s Aurangabad facility is a full-fledged manufacturing plant.

With the India 2.0 Project, the carmaker has implemented the highly localised MQB A0-IN vehicle platform. As the name suggests, it is an iteration of the global MQB A0 platform where all upcoming models will be designed and manufactured locally.

Since 2019, Skoda India has been operated under Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited, a subsidiary of the global VW Group undertaking the business activities of five brands in India: Skoda, Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, and Lamborghini.

Product portfolio

Sedans: Skoda’s sedan lineup consists of the brand’s global stalwarts, the Octavia and Superb sedans. Segment sales for the carmaker are primarily driven by the Slavia which is based on the MQB-A0-IN platform.

SUVs: The carmaker offers the Kushaq compact SUV at the entry level. The facelifted Kodiaq SUV is positioned towards the more premium side of the spectrum as it fends off competition from the likes of the MG Gloster and Jeep Meridian.

Greatest hits

2004 Skoda Octavia RS: Iconic performance sedan that’s still revered by the automotive community

Skoda Superb: Plethora of features, plentitude of rear seat space and a plush ride made it a proper European luxury sedan

2020 Skoda Octavia RS 245: Quickest Skoda in India with a massive tuning potential

Skoda Kushaq: First mass-market Skoda SUV that debuted the globally-derived MQB A0 IN platform

Skoda Rapid: Compact, highway-friendly family sedan with a solid build quality

Future plans

After adding the Kodiaq SUV and Slavia sedan to its lineup in early 2022, Skoda has new MQB A0 platform based vehicles in the pipeline. The carmaker will likely also launch the next-generation Octavia vRS sometime in the distant future. 

Kia received an overwhelming response with the launch of the EV6, and with Hyundai gearing up for the launch of the IONIQ 5 soon, Skoda might be keeping close tabs. Its all-electric Enyag iV was spotted testing in India recently, hinting towards a possible launch. It’ll be brought in as a completely-built unit (CBU) and will likely kick off the marque’s electric innings in India.