Here comes the Kylaq, a compact SUV for India

Škoda is launching its third model developed for the Indian market. Coming in at just under four metres long, the Kylaq is a compact SUV that embodies the brand’s values while meeting the specific requirements of Indian customers.

6. 11. 2024 Škoda World

The Kylaq will help Škoda reach new customers in the sub-four metre segment. Models of this size currently account for more than half of car sales in India. The new product is an example of the democratisation of European technology for Indian customers in this category.

The new Škoda Kylaq

The compact SUV becomes the entry-level model in the Škoda family and will seek to attract customers with its modern technology as well as its extremely competitive price. It builds on the success of the Slavia and Kushaq, the sleek sedan and the previous SUV tailored to the Indian market.

Intensive testing and AI supervision

The Kylaq was developed in India and the prototypes underwent intensive testing in the local conditions. The cars covered over 800,000 kilometres on all kinds of Indian roads, reaching altitudes of up to 3,000 metres above sea level. The Kylaq was put through its paces in temperatures ranging from -10 to +85 °C. Intensive climate tests were carried out to check the durability of all the car’s plastic parts, the quality of construction and the car’s resistance to intense rainfall, for example.

The new Indian model’s two-spoke steering wheel

The Kylaq boasts outstanding bonding of body parts that improves the car’s overall resistance to the subcontinent’s mighty monsoon rains. Build quality is overseen by cutting-edge technologies like AI-enabled camera systems.

Safety first

Škoda’s first compact SUV for the Indian market is based on the MQB-A0-IN platform already used in the larger Kushaq and Slavia models. The platform is also highly localised in terms of component sourcing, with a full 95% of parts sourced directly from India. The platform means that the 3,995 mm long Kylaq with a wheelbase of 2,566 mm has the feel of a larger car. This is enhanced by Škoda’s know-how in making excellent use of the car’s interior space, as well as by a host of Simply Clever features.

Škoda Kylaq

The Kylaq also comes with unrivalled equipment for its class. Even the standard model has 25 active and passive safety features and functions, while the top-of-the-range variant has more than 30 safety features. At the forefront of these is the car’s build using a strength structure made of thermoformed steel that stands out in the given segment.

Kylaq – what’s in a name?

The name of the car that will start being offered to customers in the first quarter of 2025 was chosen by the Indian public. The “Name your Skoda” competition garnered over 24,000 suggestions from more than 200,000 votes. Kylaq, a word originating in Sanskrit, is a term for crystal, which is one of the Czech carmaker’s traditional design inspirations. The name also stays true to the traditional nomenclature of Škoda’s combustion-engine SUV models: the word starts with a K and ends in a Q.

Details of the Škoda Kylaq’s interior

Despite being Škoda’s smallest Indian model, the Kylaq brings confident and rugged looks based on the new Modern Solid design language. The design, which evokes a sense of solidity and robustness, also has practical implications: the car’s 189 mm ground clearance allows it to cope deftly with even the roughest Indian roads.

„With the new Kylaq, our Škoda Design team has preserved and re-interpreted key Škoda design elements, combining them with new ideas and visual accents. It is one of the hallmarks of our new Modern Solid design language, ushering in a new era for design in a car that ushers in a New Era for us in India. Modern Solid stands for solidity, functionality and authenticity while conveying a sense of safety and strength. The Škoda Kylaq, with its distinctive shape, minimalist and clean looks and functional features like a high ground clearance is a perfect embodiment of our new design approach to customers in India,” says Škoda’s chief designer Oliver Stefani.

Škoda Kylaq airbags

And the Kylaq has a powertrain to match. The tried-and-tested 1.0 TSI unit delivers 85 kW of power and 178 Nm of torque and can be coupled with a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.