Skoda Unveils 'Kylaq' as Name for Its All-New Compact SUV in India

Today is a milestone day for Skoda Auto India as the company steps into a new era in India with its all-new compact SUV. After being announced in February and the recent teaser of its design, the vehicle has been named through a nationwide campaign. Reflecting the choices of thousands of people, Skoda Auto India's new compact SUV will be named Kylaq, and will create a unique connection with its future drivers.

Name Unveil

Speaking at the name unveil, Petr Jeneba, Brand Director, Skoda Auto India, said: Our new SUV Kylaq is made for the people of India. We wanted them to be a part of every milestone of our biggest ever launch in the country. The 'Name Your Skoda' campaign aimed to instill a sense of pride and belonging among participants and potential customers. The result was spectacular with over 200,000 entries. This strengthens our legacy in India and reflects the deep affection people have for the brand Skoda. The process of naming the car is important to us. And this upcoming all-new compact SUV is a great achievement in the fastest growing and largest segment in India. With Kylaq, people, customers and fans themselves have named the newest member of our family. This SUV has been jointly developed by teams in India and Europe. It will be manufactured in India.

Launched in February 2024, the Name Your Skoda campaign gave Skoda customers and fans the opportunity to choose the name for the new compact SUV to be launched in India and globally in 2025. Through 'Name Your Skoda', participants suggested names for the compact SUV that start with the letter 'K' and end with the letter 'Q' with one or two letters, which is in line with Skoda's naming tradition of its ICE SUVs. The campaign received over 200,000 entries with over 24,000 unique names.

The new compact SUV, now named Kylaq, has been introduced as a 'SUV for You'. This is Skoda Auto India's first step in the compact SUV segment. This SUV is based on the MQB-A0-IN platform, which is similar to the Kushak SUV and Slavia sedan. The MQB-A0-IN has been developed specifically for India by teams from India and the Czech Republic. It focuses on versatility, safety and mobility. Apart from this, special focus has been given on localization, low maintenance cost and strength in the development of this SUV.

The all-new compact SUV will be the first incarnation of the company's modern solid design language in India. It will also have high ground clearance and space around the wheel well to tackle bad roads, giving the car an SUV-like character. The design will retain the typical Skoda SUV language and add details like refined and precise DRL light signatures. The upcoming SUV will also have a hexagon pattern on the sides and rear. The compact SUV is currently undergoing rigorous testing across India and the company is preparing for production with local supplier ramp-up. Based on a larger car platform, the compact SUV will have a 'big car' feel in a compact footprint.

This tradition has been going on since the company's first full-fledged 7-seater luxury 4×4, the Kodiaq, in 2017. The name reflects the qualities of both the Kodiak Bear and the Kodiak Archipelago, located south of Alaska in the US. This bear lives in the Kodiak Archipelago. The naming reflects the beauty, grandeur and inaccessibility of the bear and the area it calls home. Subsequently, the Skoda Kushaq took this legacy forward and its name is derived from the Sanskrit word used for emperor. Similarly, the all-new compact SUV, Skoda Kylaq, which will debut in India in 2025, will follow Skoda's SUV family naming tradition and adopt a name suggested by the people.

Skoda Cars in India

The Kushaq SUV made its India and global debut in July 2021 and the Slavia sedan followed in March 2022. Since then, both these India-developed cars have contributed significantly to Skoda Auto India's sales. These cars have taken the shortest time to achieve the milestone of 100,000 cars sold. Skoda Kylaq will be the third all-new and India-specific product developed by Skoda Auto India.

How many models of cars does Skoda currently sell in India?

A total of 4 Skoda models are currently available for sale in India. These include 2 sedans and 2 SUVs. 6 new cars will be launched by Skoda in India, which include Skoda Octavia RS IV, Skoda Kodiaq 2024, Skoda Enyaq IV, Skoda Octavia 2025, Skoda Superb 2024, Skoda Sub-4 Meter SUV.