The second-gen Skoda Kodiaq, globally unveiled in October, will be launched in India in the second quarter of next year, Autocar India has confirmed. The company will bring the new-gen Kodiaq as completely knocked-down units (CKD) to be assembled locally, revealed Skoda India’s brand director Petr Janeba. And that’s the reason why it is taking so long for the Kodiaq to arrive here when it’s already on sale in other markets.

1. Next-gen Kodiaq to be launched between April-June 2025
2. To retain 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine
3. Skoda compact SUV launch before new Kodiaq

Janeba said the CKD route takes time as parts and components need to be homologated as per the latest norms; importing vehicles as completely built units, on the other hand, is much easier.

Take, for instance, the fact that Skoda is developing new racks for the shipping containers in which parts of the right-hand drive Kodiaq would be transported to India. “The car is completely new. That’s why the racks need to be completely new to have the most efficient setup. This is exactly why we always take a little time.” The second-gen Kodiaq was also spied on our roads sans camouflage a few weeks ago.

Skoda Kodiaq powertrain, specs, features

The company has confirmed that the new generation of Kodiaq will continue with the same powertrain as the outgoing model: the 190hp, 320Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch auto feeding power to all four wheels.

The new-gen Kodiaq sold in Europe has a 13-inch, freestanding touchscreen that controls most of the vehicle’s functions, a fully digital instrument cluster, and three new physical ‘smart dials’. Of these, the outer two rotary knobs—each housing a 32mm colour display— are used for adjusting the full suite of climate controls for the driver and passengers. The middle one can be configured to control the infotainment volume, driving modes, zoom function of the map and the fan speed. The India-spec Kodiaq is expected to more or less have the same equipment.

In India, the older generation of Kodiaq is available in a single, fully loaded L&K variant priced at Rs 39.99 lakh (ex-showroom). The more feature-rich second-generation model is expected to be pricier. Skoda has confirmed that it will continue to sell the current-gen in India until the end of this year, following which there would be a 3- to 6-month break before the new model arrives.

Skoda compact SUV to arrive before next-gen Kodiaq

Skoda’s upcoming compact SUV is slated for a February launch. “We want to let it be the hero, at least for another two months, like March and April. So, we don’t want to spoil the childhood of the compact SUV. The child needs to grow first, and then another one can come in,” added Janeba.

With inputs from Ketan Thakkar