Skoda have revealed the name of the production-spec Vision IN SUV to be Kushaq. The Skoda Kushaq was showcased as the Vision IN Concept ahead of the 2020 Auto Expo and it will be Skoda's first made-in-India product under VW Group's India 2.0 Project. Skoda had trademarked several names like Kliq and Kosmiq for the production-spec Vision IN, but finally decided to go with the name 'Kushaq' which is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning king or emperor. This name also complies with Skoda's format of naming their SUVs with words starting with a K and ending with a Q. Case in this point - Kodiaq, Karoq and Kamiq.
The Skoda Kushaq will be based on the MQB-AO-IN platform, which is a heavily localized version of the VW Group's MQB-AO platform available globally. The Skoda Kushaq will also be sharing this platform with the upcoming Volkswagen Taigun. The above teaser image of the Skoda Kushaq only gives us a look at the silhouette but it has been spied testing on our roads several times and we have also seen leaked patent design images of the Kushaq.
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Based on previous sightings, we can confirm that the production-spec Kushaq will be quite close to the Vision IN Concept in terms of design. It will sport Skoda's signature butterfly grille along with a split LED headlamps setup. It looks quite butch and truly SUV-ish with an upright bonnet, high ground clearance and generous body cladding all around. On the inside, the Kushaq is expected to be very well equipped with features like a panoramic sunroof LED ambient light, 10.25-inch fully digital instrument cluster, 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system, connected vehicle services, six airbags, etc.
Under the hood, the Kushaq will have two turbo-petrol engine options - the 1.0L TSI engine from the Vento/Rapid and larger 1.5L TSI engine from the T-Roc/Karoq. The 1.0L engine produces 110hp and 175Nm of torque while the 1.5L engine produces 150hp and 250Nm of torque. The 1.0L TSI engine is likely to be offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox and a 6-speed torque converter transmission while the 1.5L TSI engine is likely to come with a 7-speed DSG as standard.
The Skoda Kushaq is expected to make its world premiere by March, with deliveries set to begin by mid-2021. Owning to localization, you can expect them to priced at par with the segment and given that they are SUVs with a premium badge at a reasonable price, they should do quite well in the market. It will compete with the likes of Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta and Nissan Kicks in India. Its prices should start from around INR 10 lakh (ex-showroom).
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