Skoda has started turning up the ante against the competition, or let us try to believe that for the time being! Skoda’s India MD Subba Rao, has confirmed the launch of Next-Gen Fabia in India and has also talked about a 7-seater SUV according to DNA.
Skoda is reportedly working on an SUV which is to be placed above the Yeti. The new SUV is expected to be based on the MQB platform. The platform ranges from super-minis to large family sedans.
The new SUV has been referred to as A-plus and according to rumours, it may be called as Skoda Snowman. Quite naturally, we are talking about a Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota Fortuner rival here. Since the MQB platform is primarily meant to be a base for Front-Wheel Drive Cars, an All –Wheel Drive version may just be present on the higher variant.
What you see on this page are speculative renderings of the lanky SUV by Designrm and it hints at the possibility of Skoda drawing inspiration from the new Octavia which looks smashing. The European model is to be manufactured in Czech Republic and there has been no confirmation of its manufacturing in India.
According to Mr Rao, this Skoda A Plus SUV will be launched internationally in 2016-17 and an Indian entry can be expected sometime after that. Skoda has not been performing very well in India so far and is in the process of realigning their processes and overall business. The company has even laid off 100 employees, bringing down the total tally to 300, most of whom have been assimilated into the large Volkswagen family.
Considering that Skoda Octavia can be called as the ‘best’ D-segment sedan in India, can the Snowman aka A Plus replicate the story in the SUV segment which is dominated by the muscular Fortuner?
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