Skoda Auto India has announced that it is planning to launch a new subcompact SUV in the Indian market. The brand has commenced a campaign named ‘Name Your Skoda’ for buyers. The campaign enables the engagement and involvement of consumers, users, and car enthusiasts in selecting nomenclature for the new SUV. Out of the 130,000 entries, the brand has shortlisted 15 names for the car. Skoda has confirmed that the subcompact SUV will debut globally in March 2025.
The 15 names shortlisted by the company include Kliq, Kwiq, Kyroq, Kayaq, Kaiq, Kosmiq, Kylaq, Karmiq, Kariq, Kamotiq, Kymaq, Kaliq, Kanishq, Konarq, and Kroniq. As part of the "Name Your Skoda'' initiative, participants can now vote for the name they would like to see used. The company will open the voting window from March 28 to April 12, 2024. The winners will have the opportunity to get the forthcoming SUV and visit the Skoda headquarters in Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic.
The brand’s naming tradition goes back to its first full-fledged seven-seater Kodiaq. The nominated names follow the same naming pattern preferred by the brand for its SUVs since the Kodiaq, with the initial letter beginning with "K" and ending with the letter "Q." This tradition was carried on in India by the Kushaq, and it will next be seen on the subcompact SUV.
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The Brand Director at Skoda Auto India, Petr Janeba, shared his views about the recent announcement and said, “India is driving growth for Skoda Auto globally. The key enablers of this so far have been the first products specifically developed for India – the Kushaq and the Slavia. These cars, apart from being built on an India-specific platform, have also been named keeping legacy, heritage and culture in mind. Kushaq, for instance, is from the Sanskrit word for an emperor. Slavia is the name of Skoda’s first-ever product, a bicycle. The naming process of a car is important for us. With ‘Name Your Skoda’ we want to extend this tradition to our upcoming all-new SUV and want the people, customers and fans to be involved in the naming process of their new car. We look forward to people across India embracing our new family member, which is locally developed, locally engineered and locally manufactured."
The upcoming Skoda SUV will be based on the same MQB-A0-IN platform that underpins the Skoda Slavia and Kushaq. The made-in-India platform guarantees an affordable cost of ownership while preserving most of the traditional features of the brand’s global lineup. The new SUV is going to be Skoda’s most affordable offering in the country, with prices likely to start at INR 10 lakh or below.
The SUV is likely to be a game-changer for the company. The auto giant is aiming to sell around 50,000 units of the SUV annually. The car will be locally manufactured at the company’s India facility, and Skoda is also aiming to sell this model in other markets. The forthcoming sub-4-metre SUV will be launched in 2025, and in the sports utility vehicle segment, it will rival the likes of Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Mahindra XUV300, Kia Sonet, Nissan Magnite, and Renault Kiger.
