Launched recently, the Skoda Karoq is currently available through the CBU route and comes in just one variant, which has a sticker price of Rs 24.99 lakh (ex-showroom)
Recently, the local subsidiary of Skoda launched the Karoq in India at a starting price of Rs 24.99 lakh (ex-showroom, pan-India). The new model sits below the Kodiaq and is pitted against the VW T-Roc as well as the top-end variants of the Jeep Compass. It has even come to light that the company could be interested in the local assembly through CKD (Completely Knocked Down) model in the future.
Speaking to a media outlet, Zac Hollis, director, sales, service and marketing, Skoda Auto India has said,“I would certainly like to bring in local assembly of this car.” However, the executive has clearly added that the plan to commence local assembly would be dependent on many factors and could take some time to materialize.
Obviously, it is going to be very important for the Skoda Kodiaq to immediately find buyers for the first 1,000 units earmarked for CBU import in case the company moves forward with the plan for local assembly. In case the carmaker does go ahead with its plan, an assembly unit will be set up at the company’s Aurangabad-based in Maharashtra.
Another important factor that will play a role in Skoda decided to commence local assembly will be the country’s swiftly evolving regulations. While the BSVI norms came into effect recently, the emission targets will get even tighter with the introduction of the RDE (Real Driving Emissions) norms that will come into effect in 2023.
Hence, the carmakers will need to prepare accordingly. Speaking on this, Hollis has said, “We’ve got to make sure that when we do localise, what we localise is able to manage the emission norms, which are coming in 2023, long term.”
Other than the Skoda Karoq, the carmaker recently launched the Rapid 1.0 TSI and the Superb facelift. Also, the company will soon update the Kodiaq with a petrol powerplant. The current models are tasked with bringing new customers under Skoda’s umbrella until new products start arriving next year.