Škoda Auto India Plans 10 New Offerings in 2026, Harbours Ambition to Be Among Top 6 Players

After ending 2025 with record annual sales in India, Škoda Auto plans to strengthen its presence here with 10 new offerings this year. The Volkswagen-owned Czech carmaker looks to build on the record momentum it generated in 2025, when it sold 72,665 cars (107% growth) to its dealers, who in turn delivered 70,600 cars (96.1% growth) to customers. 

Škoda Auto India sees 2026 as a year of consolidation and expansion—driven not by sheer scale, but by sharper product positioning, wider price coverage and stronger brand aspiration.

"This year is a big product offensive from our side," Ashish Gupta, Brand Director, Škoda Auto India, told ACKO Drive. "We have a total of 10 product actions lined up—new launches, refreshes, new trims, and feature upgrades across our portfolio."

With these launches the OEM wants to expand the addressable domestic passenger vehicle market. With its current portfolio, Škoda Auto addresses "almost 65 percent" of the Indian market.

Škoda Auto, which completed 25 years of presence in India last year, saw its fortunes turn sharply on the back of the Kylaq, its sub-four-metre SUV, and the continued strength of its India 2.0 products.

"Last year was a transformative year for us," Gupta said. The Kylaq emerged as the single biggest growth driver, contributing nearly 60 percent of Škoda’s total volumes, or around 42,000 units. The Kushaq and Slavia shared most of the remaining volumes, while the Kodiaq played a smaller but significant role as a premium executive SUV.

Focus on volume and halo models

Škoda’s upcoming product actions are not limited to all-new nameplates. Instead, the strategy revolves around refreshing core volume models, expanding variant choices and bringing some of its globally hit models to India.

The just-unveiled new Kushaq is the first major step in that direction. It continues to play a central role in Škoda’s India 2.0 strategy, which marked the brand’s renewed focus on localisation and Indian market relevance.

The first product launched under Škoda’s parent Volkswagen Group’s ‘India 2.0 strategy’, the Kushaq "sits at a very sweet spot of where the Indian market is today".

The Kylaq range will also see significant expansion, with three new trims—Classic Plus, Prestige Plus and Sportline—being introduced over the course of the year. These variants are aimed at offering higher-end features at more accessible price points.

"We call it democratisation of technology," Gupta explained. "Features like real automatics, sunroofs and richer equipment are now coming in at price points where customers didn’t expect them earlier."

A Slavia refresh is also expected soon.

Performance cars and brand builders

Alongside mainstream models, Škoda is leaning heavily into brand-building with the return of its performance icons. The Octavia RS, which sold out within minutes during its previous India outing, will be back with another batch. It will be joined by the Kodiaq RS, extending the RS badge into the SUV space.

"We are also bringing in a Kodiaq Sportline variant, which the market has been asking for," Gupta said, adding that the Sportline will focus on sportier design and visual appeal.

There’s also a surprise waiting in the wings. "We have a special car coming towards the end of the year that carries forward our sedan legacy," he hinted.

Skoda Auto's Top 5 markets globally in 2025

GST boost

Škoda’s product push is being timed alongside favourable structural changes in the Indian automotive market, particularly following recent GST revisions. Incidentally, the segments where Škoda already has a presence—sub-four-metre SUVs, compact SUVs and executive SUVs—are also the segments that are witnessing higher growth rates.

"These changes are helping us directly," Gupta said. "The sub-four-metre SUV segment saw prices drop by almost 8.5 percent, while mid-size cars became cheaper by around 4 percent."

With the Kylaq entering its first full year of sales and refreshed versions of the Kushaq and Slavia arriving soon, Škoda believes it has a strong foundation for sustained growth.

Measured growth targets

With its new product interventions leading to growing brand presence, Gupta says, Škoda’s rank in the Indian passenger vehicle industry rose from 11th position in 2024, to seventh place in 2025. "Our goal is not to chase 10 percent market share," Gupta said, while adding "That would require a much larger portfolio and investments we are not planning right now. But someday, we aspire to be among the top six." The group of the top six passenger vehicle OEMs control about 85-90% of the domestic market.

With new product interventions, and network expansion, the brand aims to increase market coverage from the current levels to 80 - 90 percent.

With 10 product interventions planned, a growing footprint, and a clearer focus on value and aspiration, 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most important years yet for Škoda Auto’s journey in India, its fourth-largest market globally.