-To be slotted in between Active and Ambition trims

-Likely to get features of both the trim levels

Skoda is working on a new mid-level variant for the Kushaq SUV. Currently, it is offered across three variants- Active, Ambition and Style, and this new version will find a place between the Active 1.0 TSI MT and the Ambition 1.0-TSI MT where there currently exists a Rs 2 lakh price gap.

The Active variant is the entry-level trim for the SUV and as compared to the Ambition trim level, misses out on quite a few features that include the likes of the middle rear headrest, climate control, rear AC vents, reverse camera, telematics, rear armrest, split-folding rear seat, cooled glove box, rear wiper with defogger, LED headlamps and cornering lights.

This new version is expected to fill this gap by taking some of the features of the Ambition trim. We can expect climate control, reverse camera, rear AC vents as well as a rear wiper with defogger as these are features that are available in cars from much lower price brackets.

We expect that Skoda will initially have a limited production run for this mid-level variant in a bid to gauge customer response similar to production runs for models like the Rapid Monte Carlo and Rapid Ryder. It’s expected to be offered only in the 1.0-litre TSI MT guise where the engine produces 114bhp/178Nm and is mated to a six-speed manual.