With the emergence of India as a global hub for manufacturing Skoda has sought to take the brand forward by selling the all new Skoda Kushaq SUV in Vietnam . The Czech carmaker is leveraging its production prowess in India to export CKD( completely Knocked Down units to foreign countries for assembly.
Beyond the Kushaq the Skoda’s line up in Vietnam also includes Karoq and Kodiaq SUVs imported from Europe. In the coming months the local production and sales would soon be extended to include new models such as the Slavia sedan that would be assembled in Vietnam from the CKD kits that would be exported from India.
The Kushaq midsize SUV has been produced in India since March, This would be the first time that a Skoda model would be manufactured in Vietnam for the local market. For the Vietnamese market the car has been configured to be able to drive on the right hand side of the road and features a set of safety and comfort equipment such as Radar based adaptive cruise control or Blind Spot Monitoring.
Before production started the Pre Series Kushaq vehicles covered close to over 330,000 km’s on a variety of Vietnamese roads and underwent extensive climate testing. These involved testing the vehicle operations in -10 Degrees to + 42 Degree Celsius and high humidity.
Since Skoda’s entry into the Vietnamese market in September 2023 15 dealerships have owned a new experience center showroom concept in Hanoi, Further expansion of the network is planned for this year. Skoda would not be the only brand that has been producing in India and exporting its product line overseas. Suzuki as well as a few other brands such as Bajaj in Two wheelers also export overseas after production in India. Maruti Suzuki exported a record 70,560 units in Q1 FY 2024-25, the highest ever in any Q1 of the company.
