Skoda has just announced that its upcoming Kylaq compact SUV, slated to go on sale in early 2025, will debut globally in production-spec form on November 6. This will be Skoda’s first-ever crack at the compact SUV segment, the third product on the MQB-A0-IN platform, and the first under the company's India 2.5 plan.
This also confirms our scoop from earlier this month about the Kylaq entering production in October. Sources say Skoda is looking at an annual production count of 50,000-70,000 units. The Kylaq will initially be sold domestically, with exports beginning at a later date for better economies of scale.
Initial teasers and sketches suggest a familiar Skoda design language, but the carmaker says that the Kylaq will be the first model to bring the brand’s ‘Modern Solid’ design language with typical SUV attributes to India. So, some design cues seen on sketches of the recently unveiled Skoda Elroq can be expected. The Kylaq will get split headlamps and a wide grille with vertical slats. The compact SUV will have a slightly shorter wheelbase than the Kushaq and will have tighter front and rear overhangs to duck under the crucial four-metre length.
The Kylaq’s interior is expected to resemble the Kushaq, and Skoda will likely equip it with more features – 360-degree camera and an ADAS suite – than the Kushaq and Slavia.
Powering the Kylaq will be the sole 115hp, 178Nm 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine paired to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic.
Key rivals will include the Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Kia Sonet and the Maruti Brezza. Pricing for the Kylaq will be crucial and we expect the brand to leverage the already heavily localised MQB A0 IN platform and price the Kylaq aggressively right from launch.