Skoda India gears up for SUV onslaught soon; new model or variant every year

One of the new SUV as part of the plan will be a five-seater SUV based on the low-cost platform christened 'Eco.'

Skoda India has just launched its flagship seven-seater SUV in India, the Kodiaq. The model has been priced at Rs 34.49 lakh ex-showroom and it will take on the likes of Toyota Fortuner and Ford EcoSport.

The arrival of Kodiaq is just the trailer of the imminent SUV onslaught from the Czech brand. The company has only one percent market share in India's passenger vehicle market. To boost sales in the country, Skoda is planning to heavily invest in SUV models, reports Livemint.

As part of the plan, Skoda will introduce new SUV models including variants every year for the next five years in India, the report adds. One of the new SUV as part of this plan will be a five-seater SUV to be underpinned by low-cost platform christened 'Eco.' The platform is expected to be the base to many Skoda SUVs for the emerging markets.

The Eco car platform will be based on parent Volkswagen group's MQB platform. The Skoda SUV in Eco platform will be pitted against Hyundai Creta and the model is expected to make a debut by 2020.

Skoda is expected to use tweaked EA288 2.0-litre diesel engine from Volkswagen group in the new SUV. If that proves infeasible, the company may outsource 2.0-litre diesel engine from another manufacturer altogether, most probably from Fiat.

Skoda India is also evaluating about bringing in the Karoq C-segment SUV to India to fill the vacant space left by the Yeti. Skoda had globally unveiled Karoq in May. The five-seater model has been positioned below the Kodiaq in the global line up. When it comes to India, it will be pitted against the Jeep Compass and the Hyundai Tucson.

Though there is no information on the other SUVs in the pipeline, a report in ET Auto claims Skoda is also exploring if it can participate in the mainstream SUV market to take on models such as Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and Ford EcoSport.