India has emerged as Skoda Auto’s fourth-largest market globally, driven by a sharp rise in sales led by the Kylaq SUV, even as the company looks to push into the top three with a renewed product push this year.
Martin Jahn, member of Skoda’s board of directors for sales and marketing, told Fe that India recorded the fastest growth among the carmaker’s major markets in 2025. While Germany remained Skoda’s largest market with 211,000 deliveries, followed by the Czech Republic and the UK, India climbed to fourth position after nearly doubling its volumes.
“In 2025, Germany was our largest market with 211,100 deliveries, followed by the Czech Republic and the UK,” Jahn said. “But India saw explosive growth. Sales rose from 36,000 units in 2024 to 70,600 units in 2025, a growth of 96%, largely driven by the Kylaq.”
Kylaq Effect
The Kylaq, launched early last year, accounted for 46,872 units, helping Skoda strengthen its presence in the Indian market. Jahn said the company plans to sustain the momentum in 2026 with an aggressive product pipeline. “We will be introducing 10 new products this year, including new launches, updates and feature enhancements across the portfolio. The new Kushaq is the first of these,” he said.
Skoda Auto India on Tuesday unveiled the updated Kushaq SUV. The model receives design changes, upgraded interiors and added technology features.
Despite Skoda’s overall growth in India, sales of the Kushaq fell sharply last year, declining 39% to 10,744 units. Ashish Gupta, brand director, Skoda Auto India, said the drop was largely due to the ageing of the model and increasing competition within the portfolio.
“The Kushaq was launched in 2021 and clearly needed an update,” Gupta said. “The Kylaq may also have taken away some volumes.
2026 Kushaq Facelift
With the new Kushaq, we are targeting a doubling of our share in the midsize SUV segment. Bookings are open and deliveries will begin by the end of March.”
The midsize SUV segment in India grew 8.9% in 2025 to over 824,000 units, reflecting steady demand despite broader market volatility.
Skoda is also preparing to expand the Kylaq line-up with a CNG variant. Gupta said CNG now accounts for around 20% of sales in the segment. “We are evaluating whether to offer it as a factory-fitted or dealer-fitted option, but CNG will help us expand further,” he said.
Jahn said strong demand from new launches could push India into Skoda’s top three global markets. “The gap with the UK is only about 13,000 units. India has huge potential, and it is important for us to keep it firmly within our top markets,” he said, adding that the company is also exploring opportunities to introduce the Kylaq in select overseas markets.