How This Man Became India’s First Skoda Kylaq Owner Even Before Deliveries Begin: Back Story
Skoda has revealed the Kylaq sub-compact SUV in India and has also let out the entry prices. The starting price of 7.89 lakh has already sparked conversations and ardour. The carmaker has been quite loud about the vehicle’s ‘made in India, for India’ nature from day 1. They even went to the extent of letting an Indian name it! Believe it or not, the Kylaq got its name from a Quran teacher from Kerala- Mohammed Ziyad…
Skoda Kylaq: The Naming Story
Skoda wanted to name their new sub-4m SUV and was specific that it should have Indian roots. They announced a campaign inviting entries from the public. Anyone could participate. The criteria was that the name should begin with K and end in Q. Soon entries flowed in from various parts of the country. Finally, a handful of them were shortlisted.
As per the carmaker, the winning entry will be rewarded with the SUV. The winner will get to own India’s first Kylaq. Ten other winners will be taken to Prague, where the carmaker has its HQ. 8 entries were finally shortlisted and let open to public voting. They were Kwiq, Kylaq, Kosmiq, Kyroq, Kariq, Karmiq, Kliq, and Kayaq.
People could vote via Skoda’s social media handles. After tallying votes, the list shrunk to 5 entries- Kwiq, Kylaq, Kosmiq, Kliq, and Kayaq. Finally ‘Kylaq’, suggested by Mohammed Ziyad was selected as the winning entry and the announcement was made public through Skoda India’s official handles.
Who Is Mohammed Ziyad? A Background Check
Ziyad is a young Quran teacher from Kasargod, Kerala. He completed his graduation in English from the University of Calicut and has a modest lifestyle. He has also completed seven years of Islamic education at Al Marjan Institute for Hafazath al Quran in Malappuram and a one-year Islamic degree from Jamia Yamaniyya Arabic College, Calicut.
Ziyad decided that ‘Kylaq’ would be his entry, after going through many names and pondering deeply over some of them. He could not initially believe that he had won the contest. The Skoda executive had to even ask him “Why? You can’t believe it?” seeing how surprised he was hearing the news. Ziyad says he is not the ‘car crazy’ type. He, however, wanted to own a car, but was being held back by family situations.
Skoda congratulated him through a social media post that reads “Congratulations to Mr. Mohammed Ziyad from Kerala for winning the all-new #SkodaKylaq. He will be the first owner when it is launched next year.”
Skoda Kylaq: Details
The Kylaq stands special in more ways. It debuts Skoda’s ‘Modern Solid’ design philosophy in India. It gets a revamped grille, 17 inch wheels, split headlamps, pronounced bonnet creases, and a two-tone bumper, The lines are cleaner and surfaces smoother. The cabin looks and feels upmarket. The overall length ducks below the the 4 meter mark (3,995mm ) and there is adequate room on the inside. It even has a best-in-class bootspace of 446L.
The SUV’s interior gets dual-tone leather upholstery. Features on offer are a 8-inch digital instrument cluster, 10-inch touchscreen ( though with an updated OS), wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, a cooled glove box, a wireless charger, a single-pane sunroof and powered and ventilated front seats.
The safety kit includes 0ver 25 active and passive features. Six airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, TPMS and ISOFIX mounts. There is, however, no ADAS available!
The Kylaq is underpinned by the same platform as the Kushaq- MQB A0 IN. It has up to 95% localisation gone into it. The sole powertrain on offer is the familiar 1.0L TSI unit that produces 115hp and 178Nm. 0-100kph is claimed to take 10.54 seconds, and the top speed would be 188 kph.
Kylaq Deliveries
Skoda will start deliveries of the Kylaq on January 27, 2025. Many including Ziyad will get their Kylaq SUVs at around the same time.