Skoda sub-4m SUV under consideration to rival Hyundai Venue and Maruti Vitara Brezza

- A sub-4m Skoda SUV is under consideration for launch in India.

- It will be based on a modified MQB A0-IN platform.

- India launch likely to take place post 2022.

Skoda India is at the helm of Volkswagen Group's India 2.0 plan. The first product to come out of this plan will be the Skoda Kamiq SUV, which will be followed by a mid-size sedan (possibly an India-spec version of the Volkswagen Virtus). Skoda India is still analysing its future product line-up for India, and a sub-4m SUV could be under consideration.

Skoda is still unsure whether it should go for a sub-4m car or a bigger model. That said, there are higher chances that the company will go for the former as the MQB A0-IN platform that will underpin the India-spec Skoda Kamiq cannot be stretched more than 4.4 metres in length. Gurpratap Boparai, Head of Volkswagen Group in India, had earlier confirmed that it is possible to make a sub-4m car based on the MQB A0-IN.

However, we don't expect Skoda India to launch the sub-4m SUV in India before the end of 2022. Skoda's Hyundai Creta rival will make it to the domestic market in 2021, while the mid-size sedan will be launched in 2022. Once launched, the sub-4m SUV will compete with the likes of Hyundai Venue, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport, Tata Nexon and Mahindra XUV300. By 2022, Toyota will introduce its version of the Vitara Brezza, while Jeep will also have a compact SUV under four metres.

Similar to Skoda's existing SUV line-up, the name of the compact SUV is likely to start with K and end with Q. There's also a high possibility that Volkswagen will spawn a sub-4m SUV based on its Skoda counterpart.