Skoda Karoq (Jeep Compass competitor) to launch in India next year

Czech car and SUV maker Skoda will launch the Karoq 5 seat luxury SUV in India during 2019. The SUV will take on the Jeep Compass and the Hyundai Tucson, and is expected to be priced in the 20-25 lakh rupees range. It will be assembled at Skoda’s Aurangabad factory from completely knocked down (CKD) kits. The SUV uses the MQB platform which it shares with the larger Kodiaq and Volkswagen Tiguan SUVs. It will also share its engine and gearbox options with the Kodiaq in order to give Skoda volumes of scale.

Ashutosh Dixit, Skoda India’s director for sales, service and marketing said,

We want to build our product portfolio. In short term, we are focusing to launch our latest SUV Karoq in India in the next 12-18 months. The introduction of the new model would really help the company to expand its SUV portfolio in the country.

The Karoq to be sold in India is expected to feature the 2 liter TDI-4 cylinder turbocharged diesel engine. This engine is a staple across many Volkswagen and Skoda cars. On the Karoq, the diesel engine is expected to have a 148 Bhp-320 Nm state of tune. A 6 speed manual gearbox could be offered on the base model with higher variants getting a 7 speed twin clutch automatic gearbox.

Both front wheel drive and all wheel drive versions of the Karoq are expected to be sold here. When it lanches here, the new SUV will replace the Yeti, a highly capable but unpopular SUV that Skoda discontinued due to lack of sales a couple of years ago. In terms of features and equipment, the Karoq – like most Skoda cars – is expected to be loaded to the brim with options.

Full-LED headlamps, tail lamps and fog lamps, 18-inch alloy wheels, panoramic sun roof, virtual instrument cluster and 10-speaker Canton sound system, ABS, EBD, 6 airbags, ESP, traction control, reverse parking camera, automatic climate control and rear AC vents are some of the features likely on the new Skoda SUV.

Via ETAuto