Skoda Cars

Brand Overview : The first mass-market European brand to arrive in India, Skoda has a long-standing legacy of more than two decades in India. The renowned Czech car brand entered India in 2001, and since then, has been delivering high-quality products with the fine touch of German engineering in every aspect. With iconic success stories like Octavia and Superb, Skoda has a good brand recall and has brought premium European appeal to mass-market cars all these years.
 
Key Milestones In India : Skoda became the first brand from the Volkswagen conglomerate to officially enter the Indian market. The Czech car brand entered India in 2001, with a dedicated manufacturing facility at Aurangabad, Maharashtra. The first car officially launched by Skoda in India, and also the first car to be made officially at this manufacturing facility was the first-generation Octavia in 2001.
After a successful debut with the first-generation Octavia in India, Skoda introduced the first-generation Superb, its global flagship model, in India in 2004. The midsize luxury car was positioned above the Octavia as a more premium offering for those who wanted a more luxurious proposition than the Octavia.
Skoda launched the second-generation Octavia as ‘Laura’ in 2005 in India, and continued to sell it alongside the first-generation Octavia in India, as it was still raking in good numbers for the Czech car brand. The Laura was positioned between the Octavia and Superb as a more premium and modern alternative to the Octavia. During this time, Skoda also launched the Octavia Combi, a station wagon variant of the Octavia sedan.
In 2008, Skoda ventured into the compact car category with the Fabia hatchback, its smallest and most affordable car in India to date. The Fabia was a premium hatchback with several bells and whistles that were unheard of in a small car at those times, due to which it was positioned at a premium over all other small cars.
Skoda expanded its Indian lineup in 2010 by launching its first-ever SUV in the country, the Yeti, which was also one of the first premium compact SUVs in the country. The Fabia was joined by Skoda Rapid in 2011, which spearheaded Skoda’s volumes in the Indian car market for the next decade. The following years saw the launch of newer generation models of Octavia and Superb.
In 2017, Skoda launched the Kodiaq, its global flagship SUV, in India, which was positioned as a premium alternative in the mid-size three-row SUV category. Skoda also launched the fourth-generation Octavia in 2019, and in 2020, the brand decided to discontinue all of its diesel-powered cars to focus primarily on turbocharged petrol vehicles. As a stop-gap measure, Skoda also sold the Karoq SUV as a CBU import for a brief duration between 2020 and 2021.
In 2021, under the India 2.0 initiative, Skoda launched the Kushaq premium compact SUV, followed by the launch of the Slavia sedan on the same platform in 2022. These were the first two cars manufactured by Skoda in India for the world, ensuring the European brand’s commitment to India.
 
Product Range And Segments : The product lineup of Skoda is divided into two categories – premium compact and mid-size imports. The premium compact offerings are the Kushaq SUV and Slavia sedan, which are manufactured at Skoda’s production facility in Aurangabad. On the other hand, the mid-size offerings from Skoda – Kodiaq SUV and Superb sedan – are brought to India through the CBU route.
 
Unique Selling Propositions (USPs) : Like its global parent brand, Volkswagen, Skoda also has a reputation for making sturdy, well-built cars, which are known to have terrific build quality and well-engineered powertrains and other mechanicals. Due to these reasons, Skoda has always been a preferred brand by driving enthusiasts, who enjoy driving.
Right from the Fabia hatchback to the Kodiaq SUV, all Skoda cars have been premium offerings in their respective segments, offering world-class engines, solid build quality and premium features. While they are priced at a premium over their Asian and American competitors, the Skoda cars justify their premium positioning with their typical European engineering prowess.
 
Technology And Innovation : Skoda was the first car to introduce the concept of turbocharged petrol engines in India with the first-generation Octavia vRS. Since then, turbocharged petrol engines have become much more mainstream, and now can be found even in compact hatchbacks, sedans and SUVs. The use of world-class, ultra-responsive 7-speed DSG (dual-clutch automatic) transmissions further enhanced the technological excellence of Skoda cars in India. Currently, all the Skoda vehicles available in India feature best-in-class turbocharged petrol engines.
 
Sustainability And Future Goals : In 2020, Skoda decided to ditch diesel powertrain technology for its vehicles offered in India to have a complete reliance on turbo-petrol engines for a cleaner future. However, Skoda is actively studying the feasibility of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure in India, The Czech car brand has already testing the Enyaq iV born-electric SUV in India for quite some time, which is expected to be officially launched in India in 2025. Skoda is also known to be developing a compact electric car as its next-generation mass-market EV for India.
 
Customer Perception And Competitors : Along with Volkswagen, Skoda is also perceived as a desirable European brand which offers high-quality products with tough build quality, premium fit and finish inside-out and a solid choice of powertrains and transmissions.
With the Slavia, Skoda is keeping the momentum of compact sedans still rolling, with other carmakers like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Honda and Volkswagen. Meanwhile, the Kushaq is one of the several premium compact SUVs from other carmakers like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Kia, Volkswagen, Mahindra and Citroen. The CBU offerings – Kodiaq and Superb – have limited but well-heeled competition from more premium European brands like BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz.
 
Closing Thoughts : While Skoda cars are usually more premium while buying and maintaining over their direct alternatives, they justify it with their top-notch quality and quintessential German engineering levels. With increased focus on localisation and compact car segments and EV plans in foresight, Skoda seems to be on the right path.