“It should basically triple the volume of Skoda in India” says Petr Janeba, Brand Director, Skoda India on the Skoda Kylaq

The Skoda Kylaq is the latest product launched by Skoda in India, and this SUV, aimed at the masses, promises to be a potential bestseller for the carmaker in India. The Kylaq is positioned in the crowded sub-4m compact SUV segment, yet Petr Janeba, Brand Director, Skoda India is confident of its success. “We started to communicate very early so already in February, one year before the market launch so this was for us very special and I think this is with such a new era car as Kylaq is for Skoda. It should basically triple the volume of Skoda in India,” he says. Janeba adds, “It's a very localised and right sized car for this market for the right price so we are very proud that we can launch this car for the first time for the right price. It deserves to make a bigger story about it.”

The Kylaq is based on the MQB-A0-IN platform, shared with the Skoda Kushaq, and Janeba says that, “The biggest things which the car is bringing to the segment are inherited on the platform which is successful in the segment higher, and that's why we do believe we have one of the best offers in this segment on the market from a comfort and quality perspective.” The brand director also confirmed that the Kylaq will be subjected to a Bharat NCAP crash test and that the carmaker is aiming for a five star rating.

The Kylaq is powered by the same 1-litre TSI petrol engine that also does duty in the Kushaq and the Skoda Slavia, and Janeba spoke about the proven nature and the reliability of the engine. “It's powerful, it's efficient and most of all, what is important for this segment, it is a reliable engine so it does not break down and it has a huge mileage so I think people will enjoy it for long.” The Kylaq’s TSI engine can be mated to either a 6-speed manual or a torque converter automatic and Janeba says, “Here we again don't compromise. It's again a heritage from the platform which we try to really put on the stage and democratise this segment with true European technology without any compromise.”

Reiterating on Skoda’s commitment to safety, Janeba says, “Safety we don't compromise – I mean you know it, I don't need to repeat it all. I think it's clear that we will have a high quality active and passive standard of safety. Honestly to be clear, ADAS is coming, but later. A lot of people are still talking about it. A lot of people want it. Some people already understand where it can help, but we focus mainly on active and passive safety standards in all cars. So that's why already from Classic (the base variant) you have six airbags standard and most of the systems are available from the first version, so anybody who is driving our car should be safe in terms of having the right features.”

There are seven colours on offer with the Kylaq, which include the olive gold which was seen at the time of launch. Currently it is exclusive to the Kylaq but Janeba says, “We are now making internal bets whether it's a good colour or bad colour. I personally vote that I would like to have this colour one day even for Slavia. Some people told me this is a very bad idea so I don't know – we will leave it to the market. It's a nice green colour, green fits Skoda. Next year is 100 years of Skoda so we should have something green.”

Janeba also spoke about the complimentary 3-year standard maintenance package being offered to the first 33,333 customers, which will effectively bring the maintenance cost of the Kylaq down to ₹0.24 per kilometre for the first five years. “Lot of people do believe from the past 24 years of the history of Skoda in India, we have been bringing mainly European products and we have been importing a lot of parts from Europe, that Skoda is a European and for maintaining, an expensive brand. This is not true anymore with Kushaq and Slavia, where we have localised more than 85 per cent of the car and now with Kylaq 96 (per cent) we are saying. This will finally bring us to the link that we are heavily competitive with the maintenance cost and now we want to underline it with a special offer giving a complementary standard maintenance package for three years what would on a five-year range cost people 0.24 paise per kilometre – it’s a price which you cannot reach by any other brand,” says the brand director for Skoda India.

When asked about the kind of production volumes that Skoda are aiming to achieve, Janeba says that the brand would be doing at least eight and a half thousand cars a month for the Kylaq. Bookings for the Kylaq will be opening from 4pm today, and deliveries for the SUV will commence from January 27, 2025.