New Skoda Subcompact SUV Likely To Be Exported From India

Skoda Auto India had revealed plans of entering the subcompact SUV segment in the country and the car will be based on the very versatile MQB A0 IN platform. We will get to see the car probably by the end of 2023 and expect a launch by 2024. It will most likely be a smaller version of the Kushaq, an SUV that has received quite the success in India. The company’s focus on making in India for the world, truly has paid off because more than 95 per cent of the sales in calendar year 2022 (50,990 units), were thanks to the Kushaq and the Slavia.

Given that Skoda already exports both the cars to the Middle East and now is all set to send it as CKD units to the Vietnam market, doing something similar with the incoming subcompact SUV is clearly a no brainer. Though the strategy behind it is might be a no brainer, putting into practice will be challenging. Given that the company shares the production line with Volkswagen as well in Chakan, Pune, the allocation of cars is therefore predetermined. Given that 4 cars (Kushaq, Slavia, Taigun, Virtus) are all built on the same production line, the addition of the subcompact SUV will certainly add to the existing demand.

And this demand is not just from the domestic market, it will come from global markets too. Answering a question posed by Acko Drive about the subcompact SUV heading to export markets, Martin Jahn, Board Member for Sales and Marketing, Skoda Auto.s. said, “Of course, this new segment of SUV is gaining popularity not just in India but in global markets as well. The subcompact SUV is coming to India but we will explore export markets for the car as well.”

The clear strategy then is to make India an export hub and the VW Group will not be the first to try it out. Renault-Nissan have dabbled into this and achieved big success. Hyundai, Kia, too have had strong demand for India-made cars. We wait to see how this strategy pans out and which new markets the Volkswagen Group targets.