- Skoda has officially announced the third SUV for the Chinese market.
- The design sketches remain true to the spied Kamiq crossover.
- The compact crossover will premiere at the 2018 Beijing Motor Show
Skoda has teased an all-new crossover which will join the Kodiaq and Karoq in the brand’s growing SUV line-up. It will be targeted at the Chinese market and will make its public premiere at the 2018 Beijing Motor Show.
Skoda says that the new yet-to-be-named crossover has been specially designed and developed for the requirements of Chinese urban customers. We know that the new crossover will be called the Kamiq which was spotted in China a few weeks ago. The design sketches remain true to the prototype spotted undisguised with Skoda’s characteristic moustache grille up front. The bumpers have a chrome strip running across, connecting the fog lamps. The silhouette is similar to the Kodiaq and the Karoq and the same can be said about the rear.
The interior images show an eight-inch infotainment screen with analogue instrument cluster and a manual gearbox. The Kamiq will measure just around four meters with a wheelbase of 2.6 meters. This puts it in the league of the Hyundai Creta as a compact SUV. It will be the SUV version of the Rapid in the same manner as the Karoq is to the Octavia. The Kamiq is likely to be powered by a 1.5-litre petrol motor producing 110bhp. This engine will be offered with both manual and automatic gearbox.
Skoda’s 30 per cent sales in China comes from SUVs. Given that one in every fourth Skoda is sold in China, developing a market specific crossover seems a viable decision from the Czech carmaker. We expect the Kamiq to make its way to India as well, albeit in a highly localised form to match its position in the well-established market. It is expected to share much of its underpinnings and engine options with the Polo based T-Cross, which too is India bound.
