The Skoda’s Vision IN concept made its debut at the 2020 Auto Expo, and the production version of the SUV will be based on the heavily localised MQB A0 IN platform
Skoda Auto confirmed the news of introducing a new mid-size SUV specifically for the Indian market at the beginning of this year, and debuted the concept version of the car at the 2020 Auto Expo, held in February this year. Dubbed ‘Vision IN’, the production-ready version of the car is expected to launch in Q2 2021.
Recently, a test mule of the Skoda Kamiq was spied during a road test in India, without any camouflage on the body. We suspect that Skoda is using this test mule for component testing only. The production-spec Vision IN will share some design cues with the Kamiq, but will be underpinned by a heavily localised version of its platform.
The Vision IN is expected to be offered with 1.0-litre three-cylinder TSI turbo-petrol, as well as a 1.5-litre four-cylinder TSI turbo-petrol engine. While the 1.0-litre TSI unit could be offered in the same state of tune (110 PS/175 Nm) as the carmaker’s BS6 Rapid, the 1.5-litre TSI unit will be straight out of the Karoq, and hence, will likely produce 150 PS of max power and 250 Nm of peak torque. The transmission duties will be handled by a 6-speed manual gearbox or an optional 7-speed DSG.
Inside the cabin, the car will come equipped with a large freestanding touchscreen infotainment system, which could measure somewhere between 8.25-inches to 10-inches, along with a 10.25-inch TFT screen as the ‘Virtual Cockpit’ instrument cluster, which is a standard fitment on its bigger sibling, the Karoq.
As mentioned earlier, the Vision IN will be based on the India-specific version of VW Group’s MQB A0 platform, called ‘MQB A0 IN’. As for the size, the car will have a length of 4,256 mm, and a 2,651 mm long wheelbase. This means that it will be slightly smaller in size as compared to the Karoq, its bigger mid-size SUV sibling.
Upon launch, the production-ready version of Skoda’s Vision IN concept will take on the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, Nissan Kicks, and Renault Duster. We expect the prices to range from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 16 lakh (ex-showroom).
Image Credit – Tanuj Dalal