Skoda Kushaq compact SUV’s official launch & price announcement timeline revealed officially

Skoda unveiled the Kushaq at an online world premiere yesterday. The new mid-size SUV is based on the Vision IN Concept that was showcased at the Auto Expo 2020. Now, Skoda’s director of Sales, Service & Marketing, Zac Hollis has just confirmed that the Kushaq’s launch prices will be announced in June with the SUV goes on sale in July. The information was announced online on Twitter by Zac himself.

Skoda Kushaq is the first vehicle under the INDIA 2.0 project of the manufacturer. The Kushaq is based on heavy localization to keep the costs low. The SUV has achieved a localisation level of 95 percent with the new MQB-A0-IN platform that has been specifically developed for our country. It is a reworked version of the MQB-A0 which underpins a lot of vehicles in the international market. The Kushaq is 4,225 mm long, 1,760 mm wide and has a height of 1,612 mm.

With 2,651 mm, the wheelbase of the SUV is one of the longest in segments. The ground clearance of the Kushaq 188 mm is enough to tackle the bad roads of India. Kushaq’s boot capacity is of 385-litres. The SUV will be offered in five colours. There will be Candy White, Reflex Silver and Carbon Steel. There are two other colours that Skoda says have been exclusively made for India.  The colours are Honey Orange and Tornado Red.

Also read: Upcoming Tata Hornbill HBX micro SUV front & rear in new spy shots

The Kushaq will be offered with two engine options in India. There will be a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine that is also doing duty on other vehicles like Volkswagen Polo, Vento and the Skoda Rapid. But the engine has been tuned to produce more power in the Kushaq. Kushaq’s 1.0-litre TSI produces 110 PS of max power and a peak torque output of 175 Nm. The engine will be offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. There will also be a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine that is doing duty on the Skoda Karoq and the Volkswagen T-Roc. The engine produces a max power output of 150 PS and 250 Nm of peak torque. It comes mated to a 7-speed Dual Clutch DSG DQ200 gearbox.

Skoda is offering a lot of equipment with the Kushaq. It will come with ambient lighting, ventilated front seats, mobile pockets, wireless phone charger, an electric sunroof, automatic climate control, LED headlamps with LED Daytime Running Lamps and LED tail lamps. There will also be a multi-information display that will show various information to the driver. Moreover, there will automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers and cruise control. There will be a lot of safety features on offer also. The SUV will offer an Electronic Stability Program, dual airbags, ISOFIX mounts, rear parking sensors, ABS with EBD and top-tether anchor points as standard. You can also opt for the optional side and curtain airbags, which brings the number of airbags to 6. It will also come with Multi-Collision Braking, Hill-hold Control and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

Skoda has not yet announced the prices of the SUV, but it is expected to start from somewhere around Rs. 10 lakhs ex-showroom. Skoda Kushaq will be competing against Hyundai Creta, Nissan Kicks, Renault Duster, Kia Seltos, MG Hector and the Tata Harrier.

Also read: MG Hector Facelift to be launched in 2021