Skoda unveils SUV Kodiaq and Octavia RS for Indian roads

The Czechoslovakian automaker Skoda has launched its SUV Kodiaq in India. The car, named after a bear found in Alaska, was first unveiled globally in Berlin last year.

The car is built on Volkswagen’s MQB platform. Skoda Kodiaq has similar underpinnings to Superb and Octavia, the Czech company’s other two models. However, the styling is based on its Vision S Concept, according to a report in News18.

The car sports a new front-end design which looks like a four-eyed face courtesy the large radiator grille and two double-headlights.

The options offered by Skoda with this model are staggering. The car comes in total 14 paint finishes — four standard and 10 metallic colour options; five engines— two diesel and three petrol; and three transmission—6-speed manual, 6-speed direct-shift gearbox (DSG) and 7-speed DGS.

According to reports, the car will come in India with a 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine with 7-speed DSG transmission. The company claims that if all seven seats are folded, the car offers a boot capacity of a whopping 2,065 litres.

Among other features, Volkswagen's wholly-owned subsidiary has loaded the car with adaptive cruise control, emergency auto braking with radar assist, Dynamic Chassis Control for different riding modes and Skoda Connect.

Octavia RS

Octavia RS is also all set to make a comeback on the Indian roads in a new avatar. The 2017 Octavia OS will available with two options in engines — 2.0-litre TSI petrol engine and 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine and two options in transmission — 6-speed manual and a 6-speed DSG unit.

After 17 years of its first introduction, the new Octavia has got a revamped look. It now sports new headlamps and adaptive front lighting along with a sporty bumper and mesh grille.

The interior of the car comes with ambient lighting, dual-zone climate control, traction control, paddle shifters and a touchscreen infotainment system.

Both the cars will be manufactured at the company's Aurangabad facility in Maharashtra. Kodiaq, expected to come into the market in Q4, will compete against Ford Endeavour and Isuzu MU-X. The new Octavia RS is slated to be priced around Rs 20 lakh and can be launched by next month, however the bookings are already open on Skoda India's website.