Skoda Auto India commences production of its upcoming SUV Kushaq

Skoda Auto India on Monday said it has commenced production of its upcoming SUV KUSHAQ, the deliveries of which will commence in July.

The model, which is the first production car as part of the company's India 2.0 project, is being rolled out from the Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd (SAVWIPL) plant in Chakan, Pune.

Based on the MQB-A0-IN platform, a variant of the modular MQB-A0 platform, the KUSHAQ is specially adapted by Skoda for the Indian market, the company said in a statement.

The model was unveiled in March this year and the company is yet to announce its prices but it is slated to take on the likes of Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos, which are priced between Rs 9.95 lakh and Rs 17.7 lakh, in the fastest growing mid-sized SUV segment in the domestic market.

Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd, Managing Director Gurpratap Boparai said the production roll out of the first car under the India 2.0 project stands testament to a great collaboration between teams of the Skoda Auto and Volkswagen Group across the globe and here in India.

"We have managed to achieve localisation levels up to 95 per cent, which truly puts the engineering and manufacturing expertise of India on the global map. With KODA KUSHAQ, we will be present in one of the fastest growing segments of the automotive industry," he added.

The mid-sized SUV would come with two petrol engines with power output ranging between 85 kW (115 PS) and 110 kW (150 PS). It will have options of a six-speed manual gearbox, six-speed automatic and a seven-speed DSG transmission. The Kushaq comes with various active and passive safety features including hill-hold control and a tyre pressure monitor system, up to six airbags among others.

Skoda Auto India Brand Director Zac Hollis said,"With the start of production of the all new KUSHAQ, we are looking at a new chapter to mark the success story of Skoda Auto in India...The team is gearing up for the launch later this month."

The company has increased its network reach substantially ahead of the launch and is looking forward to draw more customers into its fold, he added.