Skoda to call its new seven-seater SUV Kodiaq

Words by Abhishek Wairagade

Skoda has filed a trademark for its Vision S concept-based SUV, calling it ‘Kodiaq’. A departure from the Yeti, the SUV’s name is based on an Alaskan grizzly bear, which is the largest of its kind, second only to the Polar bear. The production version of the Kodiaq will be showcased at the Paris Motor Show in October and is due for launch in India late next year.

The burly SUV gets a Skoda’s signature butterfly grill and slim headlights. The Skoda design chief Jozen Kaban says that all the Skoda SUVs in the future would have the clamshell bonnet, as seen on the Kodiaq. In fact, the next generation Yeti’s design will be heavily inspired by the Kodiaq. But that isn’t all, an even more stylised, coupe based version is also on the cards.

While the concept car has got six seats, the production car would most likely offer an option of seven seats. Skoda claim that the third row will have the same legroom as well as headroom as the second row. However, with the tapering coupe-like roofline, we cannot be sure if this will be entirely possible.

Alongside the cabin space advantage, the interiors of the car are expected to be even friendlier with the inclusion of two 16-inch multimedia screens, both for the driver and the passenger. The touchscreens will be placed next to the AC vents and shall display both, multimedia as well as instrumentation data, aiding the driver as well as the passenger.

The drivetrain options are expected to be the same as the current Skodas as well as other cars made by the VW group. Internationally, the car is expected to be powered by 1.6-litre as well as 2.0-litre engines at the core, with each engine available in multiple states of tune. In India, we expect the cars to be powered by the same engines that power the new Superb — the 2.0-litre diesel and the 1-8-litre petrol.

The Skoda Kodiaq is expected to hit the Indian shores sometime next year and when it does, it will be up against the Audi Q5 and BMW X3. The Kodiaq is a large SUV and at with a 4.7m length, it is bigger than the Germans mentioned here ( both the X3 and the Q5 are 4.6m long). Skoda has always priced its products competitively and expect the Kodiaq to come at a slight premium over the Superb.