Even four years after they went missing from the company’s lineup, Skoda loyalists in India continue to hope the carmaker will reintroduce diesel engines. Since 2020, Skoda – as every other brand under the Volkswagen Group umbrella – has only offered petrol engines for its cars and SUVs in India. It may finally happen with the launch of the new Skoda Kodiaq, as the company has confirmed it is studying the possibility of introducing the Kodiaq diesel in India after the petrol version is launched by mid-2025. However, if it does come to our shores, the Kodiaq diesel will only make it here as a completely built-up (CBU) offering, and will only be available in select regions of the country.
Also Read: Skoda Rules Out Plug-In Hybrid Powertrain For India-Bound New Kodiaq
In conversation with carandbike, when quizzed about return of diesel in the portfolio, Skoda India brand director Petr Janeba said the company could look at doing so in limited numbers, with no more than 100 to 200 units likely to be shipped into the country. Janeba explained that demand for diesel vehicles has dropped sharply in certain states, and while there remains notable demand in a handful of regions, it continues to drop, which would make it infeasible to ship large volumes of the Kodiaq diesel to India or to venture into local assembly.
New Kodiaq is available overseas with a 2.0-litre diesel engine with two- and four-wheel drive options.
"It will only be the 2.0 [TSI] EA888 third-generation engine with the new [Kodiaq], like we have now. If we bring the diesel, it will be a CBU. It is a possibility, but as you can imagine, a CBU will be probably slightly different [as regards] pricing, and hence it will be much lower volume. So we are talking about 100 to 200 cars a year. But first, we will launch the locally assembled Kodiaq. And, after it touches the ground in India, we will probably experiment with the diesel as well", Janeba told carandbike.
Also Read: New Skoda Kodiaq India Launch Slated For Mid-2025; To Continue With 2.0L TSI
Overseas, the new Kodiaq is available with the 2.0-litre TDI turbo-diesel engine, available in two states of tune. The two-wheel drive version’s unit produces a peak 147.5 bhp and 360 Nm of torque, while the four-wheel drive model’s engine makes a peak 190 bhp and 400 Nm of torque, with both models equipped with a DSG automatic transmission.
Skoda will only introduce the 2.0-litre petrol engine at launch; plug-in hybrid ruled out.
Come mid-2025, the new Kodiaq will be launched in India as a petrol-only offering. The SUV will continue with the 2.0-litre, EA888 four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, which produces 188 bhp and 320 Nm of torque, and will be paired with a DSG automatic, like before.
When it was first launched in India in 2017, the Kodiaq was available only with a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine. However, with a shift in the VW Group’s global powertrain strategies, Skoda introduced a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine for the Kodiaq early in 2022. Over seven years, the company says it has sold close to 10,000 units of the Kodiaq in India.
