Skoda Hikes Prices Of Kushaq SUV Up To Rs 60,000

Diving into details of the price hike, the highest price hike was seen on the Ambition Classic variant of the Kushaq SUV equipped with the automatic gearbox. This variant of the Skoda Kushaq SUV is now priced at Rs 14.69 lakh (ex-showroom, India), an increase of Rs 60,000.

However, in contrast, the least price hike of Rs 20,000 was received by the Skoda Kushaq Ambition variant equipped with a manual transmission. This variant of the Skoda Kushaq SUV now costs Rs 13.19 lakh (ex-showroom, India).

In addition to that, the manual variant based on the Ambition Classic trim level of the Kushaq SUV received a price hike of just Rs 30,000 and the model now costs Rs 12.99 lakh (ex-showroom, India). It is also worth mentioning that the base 'Active' manual variant of the Kushaq SUV received the same price hike and this variant now costs Rs 11.59 lakh (ex-showroom, India).

Surprisingly, the automatic variants of the top-spec Skoda Kushaq Style trim with 6 airbags, and Monte Carlo editions also received a similar price hike of Rs 30,000. Thanks to this price hike, the Skoda Kushaq AT with 6 airbags now costs Rs 18.99 lakh (ex-showroom, India), whereas the prices for the Monte Carlo edition goes as high as 19.69 lakh (ex-showroom, India).

In comparison, the remaining variants of the Kushaq SUV received a price hike of Rs 40,000, which is still on the higher side considering the current competition in the C-segment SUV category.

Speaking about the Skoda Kushaq, the SUV is the first model to be built under Volkswagen Group's India 2.0 business strategy and it uses Volkswagen's new MQB-A0 IN platform. Moreover, the Skoda Kushaq SUV also boasts more than 90 per cent parts localisation.

Coming to the powertrain unit, the Skoda Kushaq SUV comes with two engine options and three gearbox options. The base engine is a frugal 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder TSI petrol engine with 115bhp of power and 178Nm of torque. This engine can be either specified to a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The second engine option in the Skoda Kushaq SUV is a more potent 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, TSI engine with 148bhp of peak power and 250Nm of peak torque. Moreover, this engine can also be specified with both automatic and manual gearbox options. However, the automatic gearbox in the 1.5 TSI variant uses a more sophisticated 7-speed DCT unit.

Thoughts About The Skoda Kushaq SUV

Though the Czech automaker has once again gained decent traction in the Indian automotive market with the launch of the Skoda Kushaq SUV in the country, the automaker is likely to go into a downward spiral if not careful with the steep price hikes as it can lead to a negative impression among the public.