Czech carmaker Skoda which was the first member of the Volkswagen group to set up shop in India fifteen years ago, is finally becoming bullish again after years of stagnation. After recently updating the popular Octavia sedan, the carmaker in Mumbai announced a special edition of its Rapid sedan called the ‘Monte Carlo’ as well as the performance variant of the Octavia sedan, the Octavia RS. These will both be launched before the end of September.
But as Ashutosh Dixit, Director - Sales, Service and Marketing, Skoda India told The Pioneer, the main launch for Skoda India this year will be the new Kodiaq SUV, which the carmaker claims will be a game changer in its segment by bringing in a three-time car in a segment that usually has just two rows. “A seven seater will be a major differentiator for our car.” The Kodiaq is expected to be very competitively priced against the competition which includes the Volkswagen Tiguan.
Dixit also said that Skoda has enjoying a year of great growth thanks to a renewed focus on sales and service. “We should touch over 17500 units this year, possibly 18000 which would signify a 35 percent growth over last year” Skoda India currently has 66 outlets in 52 cities and plans to add four more outlets by the end of the year. One reason for the growth was Skoda’s innovative comprehensive sales packages.
“Many of our customers in the past complained about cost of service and we have worked to assuage them. Today a Rapid customer can buy a four year service package for Rs 29,999 and an Octavia customer a similar package for Rs 39,999.”
The carmaker has also launched an innovative application for smartphones that gives customers detailed service records and helps plan their cars service. It also plans to bring in a highly connected experience with the Skoda Connect app on the Kodiaq which will give a whole host of parameters to owners.