Under its ambitious India 2.0 project, Skoda India is all set to make a dent in the Indian market. Before this year, the carmaker had an entirely different line-up with a place in almost all of the major segments in the market. However, with the arrival of the stringent BS-VI emission standards, the carmaker has decided to entirely skip on the diesel engines and, hence, to manufacture only petrol-powered ones.
So, as soon as the BS-VI emission norms kicked in the market, Skoda had to discontinue its diesel-powered cars. Later on, the manufacturer introduced the Rapid, Karoq, and Superb with BS-VI approved engines, all with the maker’s coveted TSI technology.
While the latter two remained to be slow-selling models in the country, the Rapid – especially in the Rider trim – proved to be Skoda’s bread and butter model. It is, after all, priced very well, undercutting most of the smaller sub-4m sedans, and it’s not even a bare-bones model. Plus, it also comes powered by a 1.0-litre TSI engine, which makes it one of the most affordable turbo petrol cars in the market.
Later on, the maker introduced a newer Rider Plus variant to cope up with the sales of the car. But, what can we expect from Skoda cars in the future? Here are a few models that are in the pipeline.
1. Skoda New Octavia
The Skoda Octavia has been spied recently while testing, this means that the model is soon coming to the Indian market. The older one, on the other hand, was discontinued as soon as the BS-VI emission norms kicked in earlier this year. Skoda had also introduced a sprightlier vRS version of the Octavia, which sold out as quickly as it went on sale this year. The new version, then, would be an all-new model, marking a generation upgrade for the executive sedan. Moreover, as far as its design is concerned, it would be less radical in comparison to the older model with a much more elegant design. Therefore, the split headlamp design from the older model, too, will be axed out for a more conventional layout. Expect it to be powered by the same 1.5-litre TSI engine as the Karoq when it arrives in the Indian market sometime around early next year.
2. Skoda Kodiaq Petrol
The Skoda Kodiaq, too, was discontinued from the Indian automotive market alongside the Octavia. However, unlike the case with the Octavia, the full-size SUV from Skoda is expected to make its return in the same guise as its predecessor. So, expect the same exterior design, same interior layout, along with the same equipment list with the BS-VI approved Kodiaq. However, this time around, the Kodiaq will make its shift from diesel to petrol power. We expect Skoda to use the same engine as in the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace, which is a 2.0-litre TSI unit, capable of churning out 188bhp and 320Nm of torque. As with its sibling, the Kodiaq, too, would be solely available with a 7-speed DSG transmission.
3. Skoda Kamiq
The Kamiq is going to be the most important model from Skoda in the Indian market, for when it officially arrives. This is because the Kamiq is a mid-size SUV, which will rival the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, MG Hector, and so on. Therefore, it would be sitting in a pretty fierce space. Besides that, the Kamiq would be positioned lower than the Karoq and higher than the Rapid in the maker’s line-up. It was officially unveiled for the first time at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. The crossover is, moreover, the third SUV from the company for the European market after the Kodiaq and the Karoq. Expect it to arrive by the middle of next year.
4. Skoda New Rapid
While the 2020 Rapid has been selling in good numbers, it’s no secret that the model has now aged quite a lot, especially when you look at its cabin. Therefore, to keep things fresh, Skoda is gearing up to introduce an all-new generation of the Rapid, which was showcased in Russia earlier this year. It is expected to be powered by the same 1.0-litre TSI engine. We expect the new Rapid to debut in the Indian market by mid-2021. Also, grab the latest info on the upcoming cars, only at autoX.
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