[chautob0t]

Overpriced, irrespective of the equipment on offer, brand name and (expected) build quality.

They are charging a premium or 50K to 1.5L like many others have said. This pricing acts as a great filter and removes potential buyers (like me) who can spend that amount of money but only if they see value in it.

Once the hype settles down (which, to be fair, already feels well settled), this pricing will attract only the enthusiast crowd and hardcore fans only. Both of these segments are aware of Skoda ASS nightmares and they will still go for it nevertheless, keeping in mind they will face some issues at some point of ownership. It is much easier for Skoda to sell their products to the enthusiasts and fans as they don't need convincing.

Enthusiasts (like us) are okay to handle a few niggles and issues, but for a family or normal use case (like my current requirement), a fuss free ownership and decent value for money matters too.

They should have prices the base variant at 9.99L at most to get some buyers in and see the market response.

[nitkel]

Originally Posted by prateekchanana

I think its unfair to expect European build qualities at prices which are lower than the Koreans knowing how they fair in the NCAP. Unless this car scores less than 4 stars in the NCAP, its still good pricing. And as per the review except the seat covers, and head liners which as GTO mentioned can be replaced aftermarket, the car fills solidly built with typical Skoda quality which is much better than the competition. And the driving experience is definitely better than the competition as well according to the review.

When you skimp on features and interior quality, which are important to the buyers, and bring in a car which is smaller than the competition, you need to price it lower to get sales. The only thing European remains the "perceived" build quality which is as yet untested! And as an owner of a Vento, I would say that VAG build quality (over the long term) in the <20 lakh bracket is on par with competition. Not worth paying a premium over unless the GNCAP results are spectacular!

[DriveOnceMore]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Here is also rendered Kushaq vRS in red, imagined by SRK -

Attachment 2172181
(Image Source)

With such a disastrous launch prices of normal variants, it's better that this vRS version remains an imagination.

[GTO]

Damn, I knew they are going to go for premium pricing, but the higher variants (especially) are overpriced. I thought Skoda will keep a fair premium, considering there is some cost-cutting in the car (e.g. plastics lower down in the cabin, standard sunroof instead of panoramic, misaligned stitching, basic reversing cam and no 360 view etc.). Vid6639 & me just had a discussion on the launch and he thinks its 1.5 lakhs overpriced. Skoda has priced most of its newer launches for fat profits & the Kushaq is no different.

Anyone who sees the Kushaq's lack of presence in person and the 20+ lakh OTR price is definitely in for serious sticker shock . The other major disadvantage versus the Korean twins is the narrow rear seat (3 adults is impossible). You know what else is sad? That the ATs don't get 6 airbags. Now, this is just a braindead move in a market that loves its ATs. More than the price, something like this will cost them sales.

However, if I were the CEO of Skoda India, I would go for the same kind of pricing. Reason: Skoda's thin dealership network + lack of a diesel + terrible after-sales reputation means the Kushaq was never going to be an 8000 / month car. Now, if you can currently sell just 3000 - 3500 units / month, would you sell a variant at 18.5 lakhs OTR or 20 lakhs (just an example). That additional 1.5 lakhs goes straight to the bottom line. Cars are not priced on the basis of cost; they are priced on the basis of the maximum that a customer will pay. How much more would you pay for a 4-star GNCAP car (my source is reasonably reliable, not 100% though) over a 2 - 3 star competitor? ESC is standard even on the base variant - how much would you pay for ESP? How much more would you pay for driving one of the most fun crossovers (although new Creta / Seltos are also loads of fun)? And like it or not, the Skoda brand has some premium'ness in India (definitely more premium than a Hyundai). The brand will charge some extra money for the badge. I always overpay for good used cars & Viddy overpaid 4 lakhs for his Kodiaq. After so many years of happy ownership, ask any of us if we regret shelling out that extra money? The answer is no. In fact, the number 1 reason any Kushaq owner will regret his purchase is not because of the inflated price tag, but because of the brand's shoddy long-term reliability & pathetic dealerships. No one I know has ever regretted paying a lakh or two more for a good car (Kushaq 1.5L is a "great" car IMHO). But 8 / 10 owners who suffer poor reliability regret their purchase decision.

Not that it makes a difference to the customer, but I believe the 1.5L turbo-petrol is not localised, contributing further to the price. Another point that shouldn't matter to the customer, although I think is a contributor here = dealer viability. Unlike Hyundai, several Skoda dealers are suffering financially. Am willing to bet that the margin on a same price Kushaq is higher than the Creta's.

The biggest deal-breaker to me and my biggest disappointment today is that the automatics have just 2 airbags. I hope Skoda fixes this grave error ASAP.

[PrasannaDhana]

Funny to see Skoda pit the Kushaq directly against Creta and seltos in pricing. Creta was an already well established & extremely successful brand name and hence the market accepted its ridiculous pricing (yes, new creta is overpriced by a few lakhs!).



To believe Kushaq would sell at the same price is just Skoda being too optimistic, may be even a little foolish. But knowing the eagerness(or the lack of) of Skoda to sell cars in good numbers, I am sure they will be content with selling 1500 units a month, which kushaq definitely will attain, even at this pricing. Koreans offer better features set and a very economical 1.5 diesel mill. It's eventually going to be safety vs (features + fuel economy) for the 20 lakh compact SUV buyer.

If they had priced the base 1.0 TSI MT at 9.99 lakhs ex showroom, they could have easily seen extra 500 units/month sales. Guess they are going for the premium brand image over sales.

[gopi_rm]

Originally Posted by prateekchanana

I think its unfair to expect European build qualities at prices which are lower than the Koreans knowing how they fair in the NCAP. Unless this car scores less than 4 stars in the NCAP, its still good pricing. And as per the review except the seat covers, and head liners which as GTO mentioned can be replaced aftermarket, the car fills solidly built with typical Skoda quality which is much better than the competition. And the driving experience is definitely better than the competition as well according to the review.

No one would have complained about the premium pricing if Kushaq is a typical European built car.

However Skoda did a lot of compromises such as narrow cabin, less boot space, cheap plastics all around, cheap headliner/seat backs, no one touch up/down for all windows, sun visors without lamps, no frameless wipers, 3 parking sensors and lack of many convenience features compared to the competition. And along with 95% localization, this premium pricing unacceptable.

[SBM3J]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Attachment 2172202

Attachment 2172203

Attachment 2172204

There is no mention about things like airbags, tire pressure monitoring system, hill hold, reverse camera, Skoda connect etc.. Am I missing something?

I have a feeling that these are going to be optional extras and the actual price with these is going to be much much higher.

Can someone clarify please?

[hummer]

Wow, thanks to SKODA for making my decision so easy to drop the King and stick to my Work Horse !!

I was not really intending to change my Duster AMT but somewhere in the corner of my heart (not mind), I was thinking lucrative pricing for Kushaq may change me. That too I was not fully convinced with Kushaq with a ~100 ltr less boot space compared Duster, still you know that fresh air feel, but now I can continue with my trusted Dusty few more years.

Bad pricing is not a new trend (to keep premium-ness?), many capable cars / SUVs failed miserably due to horrible pricing, but this is in mass market segment and Skoda needed a revival very badly, they had a decent SUV on hand, a great opportunity lost, it will go the way Jeep Compass did.

Definitely a big sigh of relief for Hyundai, KIA and TATA. No stopping for Creta and Seltos and a segment below Venue and Sonet, to some extent for Nissan/Renault for Magnite/Kiger twins too. Now I am curious to see the sales chart next.

[Bnr12]

Skoda had enough time to add new dealers to it’s network. Hyundai has more than 40 dealerships in Telangana and 17 service centers in Hyderabad alone. Even Kia has its presence in four districts in Telangana excluding Hyderabad. Meanwhile Skoda has only two showrooms and service centers in the entire state.

I would deal with any Volkswagen/Hyundai/Kia dealer than the Skoda dealer in Hyderabad. Now wait for the Volkswagen Taigun begins.

[curiousnewbie]

brochure with variant wise features

[steadfast]

Well I think the pricing is done with the plan of a Kushaq Rider model to be launched at 9.49 to 9.99 L type price in next 12 months.
Moreover looking at kit of Ambition this cannot be compared to basic bare models of other brands.

[pocketaces]

OTR Pricing details in Bengaluru

[PrideRed]

Isn't the pricing of top spec in expected lines? Korean duos have the size and features but the Kushaq has better engine and dynamics. Lack of diesel, smaller footprint will hurt sales, but aiming for 5000 copies with thin dealer network was never going to happen even with stellar pricing. Just look at Magnite, even with disruptive pricing, they are yet to hit 5K mark.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Buyers of the automatics are in for a rude shock! Only the MT variants get the option of 6 airbags and TPMS!

I don't get it - the automatics are horribly overpriced then. The 6 speed torque converter carries a premium of 1.4 lakhs over MT in the Ambition variant, and 1.2 lakhs in the Style variant! The DSG costs 1.4 lakhs more than the MT 1.5 Style variant.

Then why the cost-cutting w.r.t safety on the automatics?

[arindambasu13]

Well no surprises here really. It was a given that the Kushaq would disappoint with their unrealistic pricing, especially given the huge hype built up around their entry into this segment. Given the poor reliability and expensive upkeep and parts, shoddy service network and the "less than typical solid European build" of the Kushaq (as many reviews have pointed out), this kind of pricing would dissuade a lot of customers from putting such big money into the Kushaq.

Quite a mess up by Skoda with the bad pricing (that too, introductory) and irrational distribution of safety features across variants.