Skoda Kodiaq 7 seat SUV is the Toyota Fortuner challenger

Czech automaker Skoda is betting big on SUVs, and the upcoming Geneva Motor Show will see it unveiling the Vision S concept, as a precursor to the Kodiaq 7 seat SUV. Images of the Vision S concept are all over the interweb, and so are many details of this SUV.

For the motor show, Skoda will outfit the Kodiaq with a petrol-hybrid powerplant, mated to a four wheel drive system. Combined outputs of the 1.4 liter turbo petrol engine and the electric motors will be about 222 Bhp, while a 6 speed DSG twin clutch automatic gearbox will handle torque transmission.

The Kodiaq measures in at 4.7 meters in length, 1.91 meters in width and 1.68 meters in height. The 0-100 Kph sprint time is pegged at 7.4 seconds, with the SUV capable of going 50 Kms solely on electric power. To be offered in both 5 and 7 seat variants, the vehicle is expected to go on sale in Europe by the end of this year.

Although there’s been no announcement yet, Skoda India could launch the Kodiaq here sometime in 2017 as the SUV shares its MQB platform with the Volkswagen Tiguan, which will soon be launched here. As Volkswagen plans to assemble the Tiguan at Skoda’s Aurangabad factory through the CKD route, building the Kodiaq for the Indian market does make sense.