Skoda Kushaq to debut on 18th March: What we know about the Hyundai Creta challenger

Skoda Auto has just confirmed that they will be unveiling the Kushaq mid-size SUV on 18th March via a live event. The Kushaq is the first product from the manufacturer under India 2.0 strategy. The product was first announced in 2018 for India specific vehicles that Volkswagen and Skoda will be producing. The Kushaq will be manufactured at Volkswagen’s Chakan plant. We already know quite a bit of thing about new mid-size SUV. So, here are 6 things that we know about the upcoming Skoda Kushaq.

Styling

The Kushaq will derive its styling from Vision IN Concept that was showcased at the Auto Expo 2020. It will get a two-piece headlamp design. So, the main headlight will be sleek and will come with LED Daytime Running Lamps and LED projector setup and at the rear, there will be LED tail lamps. While the fog lamp will sit just below it and will get a halogen unit. Skoda’s butterfly grille will be bigger and below it will be a wide air dam. The alloy wheels are expected to be of 17-inches and there will also be a set of roof rails.

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Platform

Skoda Kushaq will be the first vehicle to use the MQB AO IN platform which is specifically made for India. It is based on the global MQB AO platform which underpins many vehicles in the international market. There will be other vehicles also that will be underpinned by the MQB AO IN platform. The wheelbase of the Kushaq will be 2,671mm which is one of the best in the segment. This should liberate a good amount of legroom in the cabin.

 

Engines

Skoda will offer Kushaq two petrol engine options. There will be a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine producing 110 PS of max power and 175 Nm of peak torque. It will be offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission. This engine is already doing duty on the current Skoda Rapid, Volkswagen Polo and Volkswagen Vento. Then there will be the more powerful 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that will produce 150 PS of max power and 250 Nm. It will be offered with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. This is the same engine that we have seen on the Skoda Karoq and the Volkswagen T-Roc. The 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine will only be offered with the higher variants.

Equipment and features

Skoda will be offering a lot of features with the Kushaq. It will come with MyŠKODA Connect, which is a connected car technology developed by Skoda. It would show you usage diagnostics and will also have some security features. Then there will be the touchscreen infotainment system which will come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It will come with automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, automatic climate control, cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring system and hill hold control. Moreover, there will be dual airbags, while the side and curtain airbags will be optional. Skoda will be offering Electronic Stability Control as standard.

Launch

Skoda Kushaq will be unveiled on 18th March with the SUV hitting the showroom floor by mid of the year. This information is confirmed by Zac Hollis, director of Sales, Service & Marketing- Skoda in a tweet. You can read more about it by clicking here.

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