Having grown 107% by selling 72,665 units in 2025, Skoda Auto India is planning to sustain the momentum through the introduction of 10 products, largely upgrades, in 2026.
“If I were to sum up 2025 in one word, it would be transformative. It marked 25 years of Skoda in India and also turned out to be our strongest year so far. We grew volumes significantly year-on-year and expanded our footprint to 183 cities with more than 325 customer touchpoints. More importantly, we have changed how we operate and how the brand is perceived,” Ashish Gupta, Brand Director, Skoda Auto India, said in an interview.
“We moved from being seen largely as a niche, urban brand to becoming far more accessible and relevant across markets. Our market ranking improved meaningfully from 11 to 7, and we entered several new territories. These achievements give us a strong foundation going into 2026,” he said.
Mr. Gupta said the focus would be on deepening reach, strengthening service coverage and continuing to build trust.
“We are working towards expanding our market coverage closer to 90%, supported by a strong product plan and structural improvements that allow us to deliver better value to customers,” he said.
On the product line-up, Mr. Gupta said, “We will be expanding the Kylaq range with new variants such as Classic Plus and Prestige Plus, while the Kylaq Sportline will follow later in the year.”
“We will now also be introducing a significant upgrade to the Kushaq, along with a similar update for the Slavia later in the year. In addition, some globally iconic products will make a return, including another batch of the Octavia RS and the introduction of the Kodiaq RS. There will also be feature enhancements across the portfolio, and one more global product introduction planned later this year,” he said.
While the company plans to introduce electric vehicles, the timing has not yet been decided.
“The question for us is not so much about timing, but about which electric vehicle makes sense for India. For EVs to be successful here, they need to be positioned at the heart of the market in terms of pricing, and that requires a high level of localisation. That is what we are working towards,” Mr. Gupta said.
“Globally, Skoda has a proven electric portfolio, including products like the Enyaq and the Elroq, which are among the best-selling EVs in Europe. However, given the current taxation structure and uncertainty around free trade agreements, introducing fully built units in India does not make strategic sense at this stage,” he said.
Skoda Auto India on Tuesday introduced the new Kushaq, for which pre-bookings have opened, with deliveries scheduled for late March 2026. The Kushaq has driven the company’s growth surge in India.
Klaus Zellmer, CEO of Skoda Auto, said, “The updated Kushaq reinforces the importance of India as the springboard for Skoda Auto’s strategy to grow our international markets. The Kushaq has rapidly established itself with customers in India and as an export to ASEAN and the Middle East.”
“Now we are setting the next benchmark for the model’s overall value proposition. This update incorporates Modern Solid design elements as well as a broad range of advances from the infotainment and driver assistance features, offering even greater comfort and safety,” he said.
“Together with the Kodiaq and the Kylaq, Skoda Auto offers an SUV fleet on the Indian market that caters to significant segments and price points. Taking the Kushaq to the next level creates the opportunity for additional demand and further growth in our most important market outside Europe,” he added.
Mr. Gupta said, “At Skoda, our mission is to democratise European technology and make it more accessible to customers across India. Today, boundary lines between cities and regions are blurring, and aspirations are merging. We are meeting these aspirations by launching products that cater to these evolving customer preferences.”
“With the premiere of the new Kushaq today, we further build our legacy of having a class-leading range of ‘real automatics’ across our portfolio, offering an SUV that comes with the most important safety, comfort, design and convenience features as standard, led by our proven European engineering,” he added.
Published – January 20, 2026 05:30 pm IST
