5 Skoda cars that we would like to see in India by 2025

Skoda is leading the way for the Volkswagen group’s India 2.0-plan. There´s a billion euros of investment slated over the next few years and with that the group aims to do quite a bit in India and hopes to capture a five per cent market share by 2025. It has already said that the first vehicle under this plan will be an SUV and this is expected to be followed by a premium hatchback. 
However, Skoda’s global range is much wider and there are quite a few cars that the Czech automaker produces that are not available in India. Here then is our wish list of cars that we hope Skoda will bring to India by 2025 under the India 2.0-plan.

Skoda Citigo
The A and B segment has become a bit of a gamble for new manufacturers. It has achieved a level of saturation where it’s a huge risk for a new player to enter and even if they do, the move would need a big investment and probably a lot of patience for returns.
Even the most basic European-spec Citigo more than matches what is considered standard in this part of the market. Given how much VW is investing in India and is aiming at 90 per cent localisation, we see potential for this car to be offered here as a rival to the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Celerio, Tata Tiago and the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R.

Skoda Karoq
Where the Kodiaq is an SUV model to match the Superb, the Karoq is an SUV model for the likes of the Octavia sedan. It has the same feature list and engine options as its sedan sibling and fits in with the same range of cars and their SUV counterparts. This is one of the prime spots in the Indian car market where SUVs have taken over the reins from sedans. Here the Karoq would rival the Hyundai Tucson and Jeep Compass.

Skoda Octavia vRS 245 Wagon
Now that we have told you about the standard cars, here is a bit of indulgence and first on the list is Octavia vRS 245 Wagon. The body style might not be popular but there is no denying that an estate car with a 245bhp heart and enough practicality to carry a racing bicycle (with room to spare) is a mouth-watering prospect. Limited numbers and programme that would allow you to have fun on the race track with your car should make this quite a deal.  

Skoda Kodiaq RS
The Kodiaq is Skoda’s big SUV and when you add sporty touches to a big SUV, it makes big waves. As the name suggests, the RS gets all the practicality of the Kodiaq but with sporty touches to appeal to those who want something racy. This is a formula that’s worked for VW with the GTi and Skoda with vRS, so we don’t see why they shouldn’t add an RS for the Kodiaq.

Skoda Fabia Rally car
Volkswagen has been running it’s rally programme in India for close to 10 years and has tasted a lot of success (have you read our compare of a stock 2013 Polo and INRC spec Polo?). So we don’t see why Skoda shouldn’t get its tyres dirty going sideways on Indian soil. After all they have won multiple APRC titles at the hands of Gaurav Gill and this will be a nice chapter to add to their illustrious motorsports heritage!