Skoda Kushaq has been a great success for Skoda India, The Kushaq is positioned in the highly competitive mid-size SUV segment which is currently dominated by Koreans such as the Kia Seltos and the Hyundai Creta. The Kushaq is the first product launched under Skoda Volkswagen auto’s India 2.0 strategy. It is based on Volkswagen’s MQB AO(IN) platform which is specifically engineered for India and will feature many products on it. Despite its success, Skoda is offering discounts of up to ₹15k-20k on the top-end Style variant. However, there is a catch!
What’s the catch?
The semiconductor chip shortage is a nightmare for carmakers and consumers. The shortage has caused huge waiting periods for many cars leading to lots of losses for the brands. Now, the shortage has caused manufacturers to delete features as well. Due to the chip shortage, Skoda has deleted the mirror folding function along with the auto-folding feature. To make up for the feature deletion, Skoda is offering a discount of ₹15k-₹20k on the Style variant of the Kushaq. Customers can avail of this discount at the time of purchase and get the folding mirror function added for the same cost when it comes back in stock. This comes as a welcome move and surely doesn’t make the customers feel shortchanged.
Quick recap
In terms of design, the Skoda Kushaq offers a very sharp and edgy look all around. The traditional butterfly grille is now thicker and gets a piano black finish. The headlamps offer a contrasting look to the grille with their slim and edgy design. The bumper is plastic clad and gets a silver scuff plate. The side profile is rather simple, with a single character line that starts from the badge on the fender and runs to the rear of the car. We get to see wheel arches as well, which neatly complement the alloy wheels.
The Kushaq gets the new Skoda interiors with the twin-spoke steering wheel and a 10” touchscreen infotainment system. The leather seats are ventilated and the cabin has a premium feel to it. The Kushaq offers two petrol TSI engine options. A 1.0L TSI engine that puts out 115PS of power and 175 Nm of torque. This unit is coupled with either a 5-Speed manual transmission or a 6-Speed torque converter. On the other hand, there’s a 1.5L TSI engine that puts out 150PS of power and 250 Nm of torque. This unit is mated to either a 6-Speed manual gearbox or a 7-Speed DSG