Škoda Auto had made its ambitions to grow the brand in India clear with the announcement of a compact SUV in February this year. A nation-wide naming campaign got the Kylaq its name, which will be premiered globally on November 6, 2024. With the Kylaq, Škoda Auto India will offer a range of SUVs including the luxury offering Kodiaq and the first launch from Škoda Auto’s India 2.0 project, the mid-sized SUV, Kushaq. The Kylaq will see Škoda Auto present in the sub-4m segment, which holds almost 30% of the total Indian car market and is one of the fastest-growing segments in India. The Kylaq is set to add a new dimension to the compact SUV segment with its modern, bold and muscular styling, proven Škoda driving dynamics, uncompromising safety and a good mix of features making it a compelling value offering. The launch of the Kylaq will see Škoda Auto entering a ‘New Era’ in India, which is the most important market for the brand outside Europe.
Piyush Arora, Managing Director and CEO, Škoda Auto Volkswagen India says,
“I’m proud to present Kylaq – the first compact SUV from Škoda India. Kylaq is designed and made with high levels of localisation, thereby strengthening our ‘Make In India’ commitment. It represents the Group’s DNA of driving dynamic, safety and comfort, along with the practical features desired by our value conscious customers. I’m sure the product will resonate with Indian customers mindset. Kylaq, designed and engineered in India, for India will be a gamechanger.”
MQB-A0-IN: Another blockbuster in the making
The MQB-A0-IN platform — debuting with the Škoda Kushaq in 2021, and further strengthened with the Slavia in 2022 — formed the crux of Škoda Auto India’s strategy. It was developed jointly by teams in India and the Czech Republic with a focus on high localisation, low cost of ownership, and quick turnaround times. It is the first platform developed by the company outside of Europe and tailormade for the Indian market.
Jiří Dytrych, Head of Product Management, Škoda Auto, shares,
“It is a moment of great pride for me and our team to see the Kylaq getting closer to making its world debut in India. The MQB-A0-IN was conceived to be a highly flexible, modular and versatile platform. You all know the Kushaq and Slavia to be much larger, above 4-metre cars. Both these cars have been pivotal in the growing focus on having safer cars in India. At the development stage itself, this platform was conceived to also accommodate an under 4-metre car like the Kylaq, and has the same spirit of unmatched driving dynamics, leading safety and proven quality. We take safety a notch higher with a best-in-segment hot formed steel for the front crash module, to ensure best cabin safety. The key features of the car are always space and comfort for the driver and passengers. The Kylaq will offer first-in-class six-way adjustable driver and passenger seats with ventilation function. The Kylaq will lead our presence, in the fastest-growing and most competitive segment in India.”
Modern, Bold and Muscular: Kylaq to appeal to a new set of customers
Škoda Auto India has shared a few glimpses of this all-new SUV, which will be showcased on November 6, 2024 at its global premiere. The Kylaq has been designed keeping in mind the evolving aspirations of Indian customers. It will see the implementation of the Škoda global design language in India. This design is defined by clear, reduced lines that reflect the simplicity, solidity and quality of Škoda cars. Bold and muscular shapes around the fenders provide an enhanced stance and road presence to the car.
This Škoda will also have a high ground clearance and space around the wheel for tackling uneven road surfaces and lend the car that SUV character. The design will retain the typical Škoda SUV language in the front and add details like refined and precise DRL light signatures. The upcoming SUV will also feature a hexagon pattern on the side and rear of the car lending more value to the design.
Jan Bures, Executive Director, Sales, Marketing and Digital, Škoda Auto Volkswagen India says,
“The Kylaq is just around the corner from making its debut in the world. It has been developed and even named keeping in mind evolving customer trends and aspirations in India. The under 4m segment makes up nearly 30% of the marketshare in the Indian passenger car sector. And the Kylaq, we believe, is adept at tapping this segment. It will also take us to new markets among tier 3 and 4 centres and bring new customers into our fold. With the response to this pre-production version, I will say with comfort and confidence that the Kylaq is on track to make its debut soon and will enable us to achieve further growth and inroads into the Indian market.”
Škoda Auto, with a legacy of 129 years in the world, is celebrating 24 years in India. It had its biggest year in terms of sales in 2022. Combined with the year 2023, the company sold over 100,000 cars in a 2-year period. Earlier, it had taken the company six years to achieve the landmark, highlighting the rapid pace of growth undertaken by the company ever since the MQB-A0-IN platform has been put into action.
Petr Janeba, Brand Director, Škoda Auto India shares,
“Expanding our portfolio is a key part of our growth strategy which will enable us to welcome more customers into the Škoda family. We committed to adding a new SUV – Kylaq — to our offerings, and we are well on track for our biggest-ever launch in India. This is a huge milestone in our India journey, and will enable us to double our addressable market share. From the teasers shared, you can tell that this will be a stunning-looking SUV. The Kylaq is now undergoing the final set of testing, and as a result we cannot reveal the car in all its glory, yet. The Kylaq is the car that will democratise European technology in India. Among other things, it has over 25 active and passive safety features standard across all its variants, and about 30 in specific variants. The Kylaq is almost ready for its debut, and will lead the charts when it comes to safety and dynamics.”
Power, performance, safety
The Kylaq is powered by the proven and efficient 1.0 TSI engine, mated to the choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The engine produces 85Kw of power and 178Nm of torque. The car is based on the same MQB-A0-IN platform as the Kushaq and Slavia. These two cars have already scored a full 5-stars in Global NCAP tests for adults and children. The Kylaq comes standard with over 25 active and passive safety features, including six airbags, traction and stability control, anti-lock brakes, Electronic Brake Distribution, Brake Disc Wiping, Roll Over Protection, Motor Slip Regulation, Electronic Differential Lock, Passenger airbag de-activation, Multi Collision Braking and ISOFIX seats among many others.
To the moon and back
The Kylaq has been tested over 800,000 kms of Indian terrain including urban, highway, uphill and rough roads. That is more than the distance from Earth to the moon and back. And more than 20 trips around the circumference of Earth. This all-new compact SUV has been put through temperatures varying from -10 to +85 degree Celsius and across elevation ranging from sea level to 3,000 metres above sea level. To ensure thorough monsoon preparedness and perfect sealing from the elements, 100 random samples of the Kylaq have been exposed to 25-30 litre per minute/sq mt. of water at an angle of upto 16 degrees. This ensures the Kylaq has zero water ingress in extreme monsoons. The Kylaq has also been put through a vehicle shaker test to ensure the interiors remain silent and rattle-free under all road surfaces. The car has also spent two years in open weather to test all the polymeric parts to ascertain there is no discolouration, distortion or loss of function under extreme sun or other external elements.
The 189 mm of ground clearance in the Kylaq ensured it tackled all obstacles it was put through for the test. Moreover, the Kylaq undergoes many quality practices in the manufacturing process itself ensuring class-leading safety and dynamics. The roof and other joints are laser-blazed, the geometry setting of the Kylaq is robotised, inline measurements of the chassis are done at two locations and AI cameras at the assembly line inspect for variations and inconsistencies on the engine surface. And hot-stamped steel, with a redone crash management system ensures the best possible safety in the Kylaq and is best in the segment.
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