Skoda to unveil its Kodiaq SUV at a global premiere in Berlin,Germany

In less than a week from now, Skoda will be ready to kick off a new chapter in its global strategy. On September 1,2016 the Czech carmaker will unveil its Kodiaq SUV at a global premiere in Berlin,Germany

Thousands of miles away, this date will also see the rollout of a brand campaign in India largely intended to create a stronger connect with customers.

One common thread in both events is that the Kodiaq will make its way into the Indian market next year along with three other products including the Octavia Rs. and a Rapid refresh. 

The focus on SUVs is in line with Skoda’s Strategy 2025 which has identified this product category as a key growth engine.

And even while its market share in India is little to write home about, the strong SUV momentum here is enough reason to be part of the action. 

 This is evident from the heady market response to products like Maruti’s Vitara Brezza and the Hyundai Creta.

In this backdrop, Kodiaq becomes integral to the product launches planned in 2017 even while Sudhir Rao, Chairman and Managing Director of the Indian operations, and his team have pulled out all stops to put the house in order.

 A lot of work has gone into preparing a strong back-end which is expected to translate into better sales and service. 

The idea is to ensure greater transparency which will lead to higher footfalls at dealerships.

In a way, Skoda is starting from scratch all over again which may seem a tad ironical considering that it was the one to herald the premium sedan (D-segment) wave with the Octavia nearly 15 years ago. 

It had everything going in its favour beginning with the first mover advantage but it was only a matter of time before rivals caught up. In addition, Skoda had its own internal issues to grapple with and is now keen on putting all this behind while embarking upon its new innings.

Globally, China is its most relevant market right now in terms of numbers (2.81 lakh cars sold in 2015) which makes India’s tally of barely 16,000 units seem almost Lilliputian in comparison. And for all the talk of a slowdown, the Chinese market still accounted for sales of 1.46 lakh Skoda cars in the first half of this calendar which means the half million mark annually could be comfortably achieved by the end of this decade.

Yet, what India offers is a rapidly growing base of affluent buyers who value premium products and this is where the Czech brand is attempting to reposition itself strongly all over again. It will, of course, have to contend with the likes of Mercedes, Audi and BMW which are no pushovers and are already going flat out to woo customers in the luxury space.