Skoda Kushaq teased on website ahead of launch

Skoda has started teasing their upcoming SUV named as Kushaq on their website ahead of launch. The teaser on the website shows us a rough outline of the side profile of the SUV with the ‘SKODA KUSHAQ’ written just beneath the vehicle. The teaser also gives us a rough idea of the launch of the Kushaq as it says ‘Summer 2021’. On the website, we can also see that the page says “MAKE WAY FOR THE ONE TRUE KING, ŠKODA KUSHAQ”.

However, we know that the Skoda will be revealing the Kushaq by the end of March. This has been confirmed by Zac Hollis, director of Sales, Service & Marketing- Skoda in a tweet that he will be unveiling the SUV himself. The Kushaq will arrive at the dealerships by the middle of the year as per Zac’s tweet. We assume that the bookings and the test drives of the SUVs should also start at that time only.

The SUV got its name quite recently, it was earlier known as Vision IN which was its concept name that was showcased at the Auto Expo 2020. Following Skoda’s nomenclature, the SUV was named ‘Kushaq’ which starts from ‘K’ and ends on ‘Q’ just like other SUV names from the brand. According to Skoda, the Kushaq name has been derived from Sanskrit word ‘Kushak’ which means King or Emperor.

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Hi Pinangshuk. I will unveil the car at the end of March and the Kushaq will be in showrooms around the middle of the year.

— Zac Hollis (@Zac_Hollis_) January 14, 2021

Kushaq is expected to be offered with two petrol engine options only. There will be 1.0-litre three-cylinder TSI petrol engine that is doing duty on VW Polo TSI, VW Vento and the Skoda Rapid also. The engine produces 108 PS of max power and a peak torque output of 175 Nm. It is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. There will also be a 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine that will be offered with the higher variants. We have seen this engine on the Volkswagen T-Roc and the Skoda Karoq. It produces 150 PS of max power and a peak torque output of 250 Nm. It will only be offered with a 7-speed Dual Clutch Automatic gearbox.

The new SUV will be based on the MQB AO IN platform that is a more affordable and localized version of the global MQB AO platform that underpins many vehicles in the international market. So, the new platform is made specifically for India to reduce costs and we expect to see more vehicles from Volkswagen and Skoda based on this platform. Kushaq will have the longest wheelbase of 2,671 mm in the segment, which should offer pretty good cabin space and legroom for the occupants. The interior will get a more premium touch than the competitors. It will come with a touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, digital instrument cluster on higher variants, dual-zone automatic climate control, multi-function steering wheel, connected car technology and a lot more. Skoda Kushaq will compete against Kia Seltos, Nissan Kicks, Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, Hyundai Creta and Renault Duster. It is expected to start from Rs. 10 lakhs ex-showroom.

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