Upcoming Skoda Kylaq: Spiritual Successor Of The Volkswagen Polo?

Think Volkswagen, and chances are that you’ll encounter a Polo on an Indian road. The Polo is easily the most recognizable Volkswagen in India, for the German automaker sold over 2.5 lakh units here. Many thousands were exported, too. And the Polo had a rather long – for a single generation – production run of about 12 years – between 2010 and 2022. That’s not so distant, isn’t it?

Clearly, the Volkswagen Polo is still frequently seen on Indian roads, and there’s a sense of ubiquity about the car, especially in bigger Indian cities. But the Polo isn’t coming back. And it’s not the case in India alone. Globally, Volkswagen has withdrawn the Polo from most markets, and the car’s currently made only in one factory, in distant South Africa.

So, why isn’t Volkswagen India planning to relaunch the Polo here? Well, they used to lose about 800 to 1,000 Euros on every Polo they used to sell in India. And that’s not something that’s sustainable in the long term.

To make the Polo cost effective would mean cutting too many corners in terms of quality, or simply deleting too many features. While cutting quality is something Volkswagen simply doesn’t want to do, pulling out features (de-contenting to reduce prices) would mean that nobody here – except perhaps diehard fans of the car – would buy one. Classic case of heads-you-lose, tails-I-win, isn’t it? So, the Polo is gone, and for good.

Say hello, to the Kylaq!

So, where does that leave someone who wants something from the Volkswagen group, at a price point that the Polo used to sell at? Enter the Skoda Kylaq, a sub-4 meter compact SUV that can rightfully be called the spiritual successor of the Polo. Wait, what? Well, yes, the more things change, the more they remain the same. Let me explain.

Just like the Volkswagen Polo, the Skoda Kylaq will measure at under 4 meters in length. Just like the Polo, the Kylaq is meant to make Volkswagen – or rather Skoda now – a household name in India, yet again. Skoda, which now handles Volkswagen group’s Indian operations, is aiming to build 100,000 Kylaq SUVs each year, and that’s about the kind of numbers Volkswagen used to aim at with the Polo. Export markets will also be targeted. Clearly, the Kylaq is going to be a big volume car, and this brings us to the price.

The last Volkswagen Polos sold in India – the ones with the 1.0 liter TSI turbo petrol engine – used to cost nearly 12 lakh rupees, on-road. Expect most popular trims of the Kylaq to sit at a similar price point. It’ll easily be the most affordable car from the Volkswagen group in India.

Then, the Kylaq will even share its engine with the Polo in the form of the 1.0 liter-3 cylinder TSI turbo petrol motor, good for about 115 Bhp-178 Nm. Gearboxes, again, will be similar to what the final edition of he Polo offered – a 6 speed manual and a 6 speed torque converter automatic. And a front wheel drive layout will be standard – just like it was with the Polo.

Then, there’s the question of safety. The Polo is still highly regarded in India for the solidness it exuded, and its tough and safe body shell. Skoda aims to carry this over to the Kylaq, which promises a best-in-segment hot-formed steel crash module. So confident about the Kylaq is Skoda that it’s sending the compact SUV to Bharat NCAP for a full crash test. A five star rating is likely, and the Polo would have approved.

The Polo was quite popular for its sure-footed handling, and the way it gripped the road. Skoda is said to be engineering the Kylaq to exhibit class leading dynamics, and the SUV has been tested for over 800,000 Kms in India – for reliability, durability and performance.

Finally, the dimensions. A 189 mm ground clearance means that the Skoda Kylaq is more of a crossover than a compact SUV – a-la-Polo Cross. The wheelbase, at 2,566 mm is quite generous, and in fact is more than most sub-4 meter SUVs. Width – although not revealed yet – is where the Kylaq is likely to underscore its compactness. Now, for perspective, the bigger Skoda Kushaq is about 1,766 mm wide, which means that the Kylaq is likely to be slightly narrower.

At about 1,750 mm in width, the Kylaq will rub shoulders against the likes of the Nissan Magnite, and the Renault Kiger, rather than say the Maruti Brezza or the Tata Nexon. As for height, the first look of the Kylaq makes it seem shorter than the Kushaq, which measures 1,612 mm in height. So, the Skoda Kylaq seems to be a crossover with dimensions that are slightly larger than say the Polo.

Summing it up!

The Skoda Kylaq promises perky performance by using the rev-happy 1.0 liter turbo petrol engine, and the ‘SUV’ form factor that most Indians will love (they loved hatchbacks when the Polo was first introduced). A sturdy build is what Skoda is claiming, and the ground clearance seems more than enough for most Indian conditions. Total cost of ownership is another factor that the Volkswagen group has worked hard on, and the Kylaq could be the most affordable VW group car to maintain in India.

A sub-Rs. 8 lakh starting price is also very likely given the Nissan Magnite-like dimensions. Clearly, this car has everything that the spiritual successor of the Volkswagen Polo should have.

The official unveil is slated for the 6th of November 2024, with the actual launch sometime in February 2025. The Volkswagen group has spent about 250 million Euros (about 2,500 crore rupees) to put the Skoda Kylaq together. This car is a make-or-break model – something very crucial for the future of the Volkswagen group’s mass market car business in India.