BHPian comments on the Skoda Kushaq's launch price

Anyone who sees the Kushaq's lack of presence in person and the 20+ lakh OTR price is definitely in for serious sticker shock. The other major disadvantage versus the Korean twins is the narrow rear seat (3 adults is impossible). You know what else is sad? That the ATs don't get 6 airbags. Now, this is just an insane move in a market that loves its ATs. More than the price, something like this will cost them sales.

GTO recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Damn, I knew they are going to go for premium pricing, but the higher variants (especially) are overpriced. I thought Skoda will keep a fair premium, considering there is some cost-cutting in the car (e.g. plastics lower down in the cabin, standard sunroof instead of panoramic, misaligned stitching, basic reversing cam and no 360 view etc.). Vid6639 & me just had a discussion on the launch and he thinks its 1.5 lakhs overpriced. Skoda has priced most of its newer launches for fat profits & the Kushaq is no different.

Anyone who sees the Kushaq's lack of presence in person and the 20+ lakh OTR price is definitely in for serious sticker shock. The other major disadvantage versus the Korean twins is the narrow rear seat (3 adults is impossible). You know what else is sad? That the ATs don't get 6 airbags. Now, this is just an insane move in a market that loves its ATs. More than the price, something like this will cost them sales.

However, if I were the CEO of Skoda India, I would go for the same kind of pricing. Reason: Skoda's thin dealership network + lack of a diesel + terrible after-sales reputation means the Kushaq was never going to be an 8000 / month car. Now, if you can currently sell just 3000 - 3500 units / month, would you sell a variant at 18.5 lakhs OTR or 20 lakhs (just an example). That additional 1.5 lakhs goes straight to the bottom line. Cars are not priced on the basis of cost; they are priced on the basis of the maximum that a customer will pay. How much more would you pay for a 4-star GNCAP car (my source is reasonably reliable, not 100% though) over a 2 - 3 star competitor? ESC is standard even on the base variant - how much would you pay for ESP? How much more would you pay for driving one of the most fun crossovers (although new Creta / Seltos are also loads of fun)? And like it or not, the Skoda brand has some premium'ness in India (definitely more premium than a Hyundai). The brand will charge some extra money for the badge. I always overpay for good used cars & Viddy overpaid 4 lakhs for his Kodiaq. After so many years of happy ownership, ask any of us if we regret shelling out that extra money? The answer is no. In fact, the number 1 reason any Kushaq owner will regret his purchase is not because of the inflated price tag, but because of the brand's shoddy long-term reliability & pathetic dealerships. No one I know has ever regretted paying a lakh or two more for a good car (Kushaq 1.5L is a "great" car IMHO). But 8 / 10 owners who suffer poor reliability regret their purchase decision.

Not that it makes a difference to the customer, but I believe the 1.5L turbo-petrol is not localised, contributing further to the price. Another point that shouldn't matter to the customer, although I think is a contributor here = dealer viability. Unlike Hyundai, several Skoda dealers are suffering financially. Am willing to bet that the margin on a same price Kushaq is higher than the Creta's.

The biggest deal-breaker to me and my biggest disappointment today is that the automatics have just 2 airbags. I hope Skoda fixes this grave error ASAP.

Here's what BHPian Vid6639 had to say on the matter:

I was going to reply that this thread has been on fire and has crossed the Alcazar in views and replies even though it was out 24 hours later. But I decided to wait for the pricing.

Expected but somewhat disappointing, Skoda has priced the Kushaq at a premium.

Skoda knows buyers are ready to pay premium for the badge. The Kodiaq was overpriced but you will never complain paying more after 5 years cause you get such a nicer product.

The same applies here. Buyers only have the Koreans to choose from, and Skoda knows that with their brand, their better dynamics, solid build, people will be ready to pay a premium over the Kia and Hyundai.

Would I buy a Seltos, Creta over the Kushaq just for the pano roof, electric seats, 360 camera. Nope. I would prefer the Euro feel, euro brand and engineering vs the Koreans. And most definitely a lot safer car.

The 1.5L DSG is 10K lesser than Creta and 15K more than Seltos 1.4L DCT. It's steep but it's a price that Skoda knows they can get away with.

Personally, the ex showroom should be 16L max for the top end so it's 1.5L more than what I would expect.

Here's what BHPian CrAzY dRiVeR had to say on the matter:

Buyers of the automatics are in for a rude shock! Only the MT variants get the option of 6 airbags and TPMS!

I don't get it - the automatics are horribly overpriced then. The 6-speed torque converter carries a premium of 1.4 lakhs over MT in the Ambition variant, and 1.2 lakhs in the Style variant! The DSG costs 1.4 lakhs more than the MT 1.5 Style variant.

Then why the cost-cutting w.r.t safety on the automatics?

• Ambition carries a 2.3L ex-showroom premium over the Active
• Style carries a 1.8 L ex-showroom premium over Ambition
• The 6-speed torque converter carries a premium of 1.4 lakhs over MT in the Ambition variant, but only 1.2 lakhs in the Style variant!
• 1.5 TSi engine carries a premium of 1.6 lakhs over the 1.0!
• 1.5 TSI DSG carries a premium of 1.8 lakhs over the 1.0 TSI AT.

Pricing against the competition (Variant distribution is not listed in the brochure. Hence just an assumption here).

Here's what BHPian AMG Power had to say on the matter:

Please note the cost of the 1.5 DSG is NOT 17.59 lakhs.

You have to add a compulsory additional cost of 3 lakhs (2 lakhs for DSG repair PLUS 1 lakh for delays, mixups, other unrelated damages to the car while in the ASS, loss of peace of mind).

So the cost of the 1.5 DSG would be 20.59 lakhs ++.

Remember, there are only 2 things certain in life - taxes and DSG repairs.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.