[maxratul]

Honestly they have priced the Kushaq at least 1-1.5 lakh lesser than what I had expected. But then again, I had also expected a much more feature loaded car across all trims. Missing out on some obvious low hanging fruits especially on the top end 1.5 DSG is baffling.

In the other hand, as someone who took delivery of a brand new Nissan Kicks turbo manual top end just last week, this takes away even the tiniest shadow of buyers remorse.

[Reesnat]

Originally Posted by AMG Power

Launch Price and Final Selling prices of VW Group cars:

VW Polo GTI :

Launch Price - 31 lakhs
Final selling price - 15 lakhs

Skoda vRS 245:

Launch price - 45 lakhs
Final selling price - 32 lakhs

Skoda Kushaq:

Launch price - 21 lakhs
Final Selling Price - Watch this space...

It’s these kinds of baseless posts that give TBHP a bad name at times. We really shouldn’t post stuff that we can’t prove.

Were a few of these cars heavily discounted towards the end of the sales cycle, yes. Was it to this extent, absolutely not.

The GTI still commands a heavy premium in the used market btw.

[Vedant Gupta]

Skoda seems to have got it wrong here.
One can either stay as a premium brand or become a mass market brand. This middle path approach disappoints everyone, I guess.

This approach is not going to get it volumes nor is it going to get the enthusiasts excited. I predict a slight uptick in volume, nothing miraculous.

Skoda could have given this car it's all and charge a good margin and a section of customers would still buy it for all the good things we love about Skoda. It could stay happy with that positioning in the market.
If it has chosen to do volumes, it should have priced the product right, invest money and keep margins low. It cannot wait for growth and then launch the right products for the market, that is like having the tail wag the dog. Kia launched the right product (safety issues aside), is growing and will continue to to do well in India. As it grows, it can launch better products and capture niche segments.

[AnnaRocks]

Why do I feel that the people who decided on the Kushaq pricing and the variant-wise features mix are being paid handsomely by the Koreans secretly . Is it because I watched too many 90's films during the lockdown?

So as per the Kushock prices, the variant that I was aiming would come close to 20 lakhs OTR in my state . It has 2 airbags and the Times YouTube review shows a mileage of 6 kmpl which they say can go up to 9-10 kmpl if driven properly. This was supposed to have better FE than the 1.0 due to the cylinder deactivation tech. Most of the video reviews opine that the interiors quality is not that great. Corners seem to have been cut across visibly . Basically that 95% localization concept is applied to everything except the pricing. Anyone still believing that the price is good for the package offered and even under-priced for their taste are perhaps unaware about third-world struggles. IMO, 20 lakhs is higher than what I feel is an okay premium to pay for this car considering the pros and cons.

Oh what a party the company guys must be having today, the Koreans' of-course guys,the Koreans.


I was following this car so keenly for such a long time and I personally wished for SKODA to get it right this time. Humble thanks to all the folks here who kept this and the related threads active with your great info and inputs.

Again,Honda City and which other options did you folks suggest as a backup plan?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Question to those who are happy with the prices!

As multiple media reports have mentioned, the real top-end variant is yet to come! Now imagine a Monte Carlo / Laurin & Klement 1.5 TSi DSG variant coming up with the below added features -

• Side and Curtain airbags
• Panaromic sunroof
• Powered seat adjustment
• Electric parking brake (can live without!)
• TPMS
• Virtual cockpit instrument cluster.

And for all these additional features, Skoda demands a reasonable premium of 1.5 lakhs - 2 lakhs (they are asking 2.3 lakhs for the Ambition over Style, so this is the least we can expect for such major features) and price the new variant at 19.09 lakhs - 19.59 lakhs ex-showroom - would you still be happy with the pricing?

If you feel it commands a 'small' premium over the others, it is because the real top-end is most probably not yet here. Skoda has skipped enough features for a full variant!

And this new variant could be out in the next few months (as Skoda will need to keep the excitement going after this pricing backlash all over the social media, and also keep up with the Taigun!). So there is time to think of an answer by then!

Meanwhile, Skoda PR is having an extremely busy day copy pasting tons of justifications like the below two -

[CarguyNish]

Skoda Kushaq 1.0 Ambition Walkaround Video

https://youtu.be/h2KHgXtpgsQ

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by Shreyas_H

Absolutely. In fact the biggest evidence is the fact that they all are using the accented S when writing Skoda - no regular Indian customer would do that. Clear sign that these are copy paste tweets.

Slightly off topic, but whenever I type ŠKODA from my phone it picks this format

[abhishek_hch]

Originally Posted by Reesnat

It’s these kinds of baseless posts that give TBHP a bad name at times. We really shouldn’t post stuff that we can’t prove.

The quality of this thread is definitely not TeamBHP standard, not sure if a lot of posts align to the guidelines also. A lot of personal stuff, some illogical ones; overwhelming majority from new members, some from old ones. Mods, kindly take note.

[Kuldeep31]

With this pricing w.r.t features, Skoda has made sure that Skodas are best enjoyed as pre-worshipped ones and preferably as a second driver.
While the engine tries to make up for this silly pricing, Ambition with 2 airbags @14+OTR is still blasphemous. Even if I consider the sales pitch of body structure and electrical gizmos, airbags provide that extra layer of physical safety once these front line defenses are breached in a crash.
Good luck to prospective owners.

[varun_ro]

I am one of those guys who waited 6 months for the Kushaq to be launched, instead of going with a sonet or a seltos. As I was anyways looking for a manual 1.0 Tsi for my family’s city runs and 130 km weekend drives to the farmhouse, the only thing I am a bit disappointed about is the pricing. The Ambition is priced around 70-80k over what I had expected it to be priced. I would still go ahead and will be booking the Kushaq after a test drive over the Korean twins, especially because I am bored of seeing the creta and seltos everywhere I go and, and half of my parent’s friends either have a venue or a Creta.

A few of my friends who are not ‘car guys’ have already gone ahead and booked the top end 1 liter automatic variant just because of the brand name and as it is something different looking than the Koreans. Even though it has been priced at a premium, a lot of folks who buy cars upwards of 10 lakh rupees will not think twice about the 1 lakh premium and blindly go for it. There are people who own even Kias and Hyundais out there and have no inkling about how many airbags are in the car or how many horses does the engine produce. And these people make up the majority of buyers.

So for Skoda as a brand, they indeed have made a superb product as these are the kind of people they target in the first place. If I were to buy a car for myself, it would have been a Honda city if I Was limited to 13-15 lakhs otr, but as this ones a gift for my parents, who always wanted to have a red Skoda in their garage, this one seems to be the perfect car!

[octane_100]

Great pricing and features distribution across variants. All the blame for their "success" will be on the immaturity of the Indian buyer. And then SAVWIPL will be happy with their imports going "sold out" in batches of 50-100.

[m8002?]

One question on the engine. How good are the 3-cylinder TC petrol engines? I tried a cousin's new i20 and the clatter was very pronounced almost bordering on a diesel. I am not sure how well insulated while warmed up.

[Livnletcarsliv]

Well, I find this pricing a little complicated.

By placing the Kushaq exactly in the price range of Korean siblings, I am very skeptical about Skoda being the right alternative?

Since this is absolutely an India-focused model developed in India, I highly doubt this car offers the same build quality that European brands in India are known for. I say that Octavia, Rapid, Superb are the actual Skoda's and this Kushaq is actually more Skoda'ish. A lot of cost-cutting has gone into this product.

Given the bad ASS, not-so-trustworthy reliability, and high maintenance cost issues of Skoda in India, I definitely expected the price of Kushaq to be at least 50K less than its rivals. Or at least Skoda should have given the actual german quality and experience with 1-1.5 lakhs more expensive offering.

The current pricing is neither that side nor this side is a disadvantage to Skoda by being completely neutral and not giving the pure Skoda experience to a Skoda fan. Attracting newbies to the Skoda brand through Kushaq will probably give a negative impact due to the stringent and strict cost-cutting evidence on the product itself.

Definitely, Kushaq WILL take an insignificant share of the pie from Korean siblings which is more reliable, more pocket-friendly and has one of the best ASS and network.

But is it a game-changer? Can it create the same impact as Octavia/Polo/Rapid/Vento? - I don't think so. Only time can tell.

[VS1811]

Long live the king, the king is dead

So, a year and bit back, i bought Seltos GT Line (GTX) DCT for 20k (ex showroom) more than Kushaq 1.0 AT Style and i got below advantages:
- A bigger, more spacious and more butch looking car
- Much more powerful engine and punchier performance
- Larger MID with TPMS, auto headlights
- Six airbags, rear disk brakes
- Heads up display and air purifier

Sure, I was equally disappointed to see Seltos score 3 stars in GNCAP and definitely expected more especially with the overall perception of heft and good built of the car and i would really want Kia / Hyundai to address it and make sure cars are structurally safer but i do not understand the bashing the Koreans are receiving for other aspects.

Our own team bhp review for Seltos starts with "fantastically engineered" and the car is just that.
- It is a little stiff riding but up the speed and it is so flat. Handles really well too
- It feels very premium to drive
- The cabin is very well put together and quality of material is great and overall execution of all features is seamless
- Says a lot about Skoda that most of us would trust a new entrant like Kia more in terms of after sales and reliability. ( personal experience, with Skoda its not if but when it will fail you)

Skoda has built a great car but unfortunately its not a great car that sells but a great package that sells which includes pricing as well and that is where they have messed up.

Also, i personally do not buy the theory of Skoda being a premium brand and Hyundai / Kia being a mass market brand. If lesser sales and low volumes make a brand aspirational / premium, Zac Hollis would kill to make Skoda mass market. Last time i checked, Kia cars start at INR 6.8L to 35L and Skoda is exactly the same +-50K.

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by AMG Power

Launch Price and Final Selling prices of VW Group cars:

VW Polo GTI :

Launch Price - 31 lakhs
Final selling price - 15 lakhs

Skoda vRS 245:

Launch price - 45 lakhs
Final selling price - 32 lakhs

..

Precisely the reason for me to like this brand. Despite having burnt their fingers they are still getting their performance variants irrespective of the price. And they have a cult following too. How many other mass market brand in India does that?