About Kushaq
The Kushaq was the first car of Skoda's India 2.0 project, a big bet that the brand could win in one of the world's toughest and most price-sensitive markets by engineering cars specifically for it. Launched in 2021, it rides on the MQB-A0-IN platform, a version of Volkswagen Group's small-car architecture adapted with heavy local content, and it is built in Maharashtra. The name comes from Sanskrit, a deliberate nod to the market it was designed for, and it shares its bones with the Volkswagen Taigun.
Its strengths are the ones Skoda fans expect: a solid feel, tidy handling, punchy turbocharged gasoline engines and a strong safety story, as the Kushaq earned top marks in Global NCAP testing. Critics have pointed to a cabin narrower than some rivals' and to rear-seat space that trails the best in class. A facelift brought a refreshed design and updated features to keep it current against a stream of new competitors, and the car has also been launched in neighboring markets such as Nepal.
In India it fights the Hyundai Creta, the Kia Seltos, the Maruti Grand Vitara, the Toyota Hyryder, the Honda Elevate and the Tata Curvv, one of the most crowded segments anywhere. News here covers the facelift and its features, prices, festive offers, sales, exports and Skoda's broader investment plans in India, where the brand says much of its future growth will come from. The Kushaq was the car that had to prove the whole India 2.0 plan could work, and its story remains the best barometer of how Skoda is faring in a market that rewards persistence over prestige.