The Skoda Kushaq and Slavia, which have been on sale for 2.5 years and 2 years, respectively, are a part of the Czech brand’s India 2.0 startegy and are set to get a number of updates until facelifts for the midsize sedan and SUV arrive. Speaking to Autocar India, Skoda brand director Petr Janeba said admitted that the company has some catching up to do in terms of features, and that the issue will be addressed.
- Kushaq, Slavia special editions and feature updates coming
- Features such as 360-degree camera to be added
- Skoda compact SUV to also get premium features
- Driving dynamics to differentiate compact SUV from rivals
Skoda Kushaq, Slavia: ADAS tech
Level 2 autonomous driver assistance systems (ADAS) are available on midsize sedans like the Honda City and Hyundai Verna, and midsize SUVs like the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and Honda Elevate. Meanwhile, Skoda’s midsize models lack that feature, but that miss is going to be corrected in the near future. Janeba explained, “Regarding ADAS 2.0, we will bring [this tech] step-by-step with the facelifts on the whole [MQB A0-IN] platform.”
This indicates that the upcoming Skoda compact SUV, which is also based on the same platform and is part of the company’s India 2.5 strategy, is likely to get an ADAS suite when it launches in March 2025. As compact SUVs like the Hyundai Venue and Kia Sonet already offer the tech, Skoda will not start its innings in the segment a step behind.
Skoda Kushaq, Slavia: feature updates
When asked about the comparative deficit in the midsize sedan and SUV’s features set, Janeba responded with, “India is a very novelty driven and fast-paced market. Our competitors today are much faster, but we are going to catch up. Not only with the facelifts but we will bring some other things in between.” Skoda has been bringing in special editions for its two mass-market models – Elegance, Style, Matte and more – and is likely to continue to do so. However, it also seems like the features list on offer will also expand.
Janeba went on to say, “So, [India] 2.5 models like the compact SUV will get some features which we don’t have on the Kushaq right now. One example is 360-degree camera.” It seems like by the time the compact SUV arrives in March 2025, featuring ADAS tech and a 360 camera, the Kushaq and Slavia are also likely to boast of these premium features, along with some others.
Skoda compact SUV: driving dynamics to provide differentiation
While Skoda may not be able to position its compact SUV as the most feature-rich offering in the segment, driving dynamics will help differentiate the upcoming model from its rivals. Janeba said, “Yes, driving dynamics, but also manoeuvrability [will help in this regard].” However, he added, “There will not be so many features in the car from the beginning, but we carefully listen to the market and we know what our competitors are doing and we will be package-wise competitive, and price-wise competitive to our main target competitors in the segment.”
Also see:
Skoda board member Martin Jahn confirms mass market EV for India
Skoda targets 1 lakh annual sales by 2026 with new compact SUV
Skoda Kushaq Explorer Edition revealed