It wouldn’t be an understatement if we said that 2022 was the year of Skoda Auto India. The Czech automobile manufacturer sold 51,900 units in the last calendar year making India the company’s biggest market outside Europe after Germany and the Czech Republic. Skoda’s ‘Simply Clever’ move was to first enter the popular mid-size SUV segment with the Kushaq in 2021 and then revive the sedan division with the Slavia in 2022. As a result, today both the Kushaq and the Slavia are one of the safest family vehicles in the country as both are awarded 5-star ratings for adults and children by Global NCAP. Skoda also aims to make India an export hub as vehicles are being exported to Mexico, South Africa, the Middle East, Vietnam and the entire ASEAN market.
Skoda Auto India: Safety is a priority
In the last couple of years, many automobile companies have started focusing on safety. Mnaufacturers like Skoda have spread clear messages and set up awareness campaigns on crash safety norms to the customers. “Due to the Global NCAP safety ratings, we can communicate and help customers understand what goes behind the scene in making a safe family car. Safety is beyond airbags and features. The solid structure is the core as it’s made of high-strength steel that is built to absorb the impact during a crash,” said Petr Solc, Brand Director, Skoda Auto India.

Skoda is the only automobile manufacturer to be awarded a 5-star safety rating for adult and child occupants in both mid-SUV and sedan segments, the Kushaq and Slavia.
Christian Cahn von Seelen, Executive Director, Sales, Marketing and Digital, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India added, “Safety is core to the DNA of the group, regardless of which vehicle you look at as our vehicles have consistently scored five-star crash ratings even under the European crash test for the last 15 years.”
Skoda Auto India: Change of perception
Based on the made-in-India MQB A0 IN platform, Skoda has managed to introduce the Kushaq and the Slavia at a competitive price as the company has managed to achieve a localization level of up to 95 per cent. Skoda’s perception has been its Achilles heel as buyers still believe that the vehicles are expensive to maintain and customer care is also the company’s strongest point. Skoda’s India 2.0 mission was focused on changing this and rectifying past mistakes.

Solc explains, “Before stepping into India 2.0, we were aware of the perception from the past like the service, about the quality, the cost of ownership, and also the price. The clear messages were sent to our dealers to spread awareness on the customer ownership and price.” To change the mindset of customers, Skoda took a step further and promoted how the cost of ownership and servicing costs as not as expensive as it is perceived.
Skoda Auto India is focused on increasing its footprint in India and in the last two years the company has doubled its touch points from 120 to 250 across India. This includes both showrooms and workshops.
Skoda Auto India: What next?
Currently, Skoda is the only major brand that’s not battling it out in the sub-4 metre SUV segment. After establishing itself as a serious player in the mid-size SUV and sedan class, the million-dollar question remains, will the Czech manufacturer dip its toe in the affordable range? Solc didn’t mince words and said, “As part of India 2.0 plan, we are considering to introduce a low price car very soon.” Sadly, we couldn’t get a timeline out of Skoda as they kept mum but be prepared for a new vehicle in the sub-4-metre segment in a couple of years.