Skoda and Indian innings | Deep Drive Podcast | Autocar India

Skoda entered India in 2000 and made its mark immediately. Since then, 25 years have gone by and Skoda still stands strong while many of its rivals have succumbed. Hormazd Sorabjee - Editor, Autocar India - and Shapur Kotwal - Deputy Editor, Autocar India - discuss how the Czech brand started out and what helped it sustain. 

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 2:19 Skoda’s history
• 4:19 How we got our hands on the Octavia
• 5:11 Octavia established Skoda as a luxury brand
• 7:33 Skoda paved the way for VW’s entry
• 8:43 Story behind Skoda Laura
• 10:27 Skoda Superb’s entry
• 11:39 Fabia was targeted to get into mass segment
• 13:14 How second gen Superb disrupted Audi’s market
• 14:46 The DQ200 and DSG woes
• 16:53 Skoda-Tata partnership
• 17:32 Skoda’s edge over VW
• 18:32 Skoda’s entry in the SUV market
• 21:23 VW’s entry in India
• 22:22 Why did Skoda never had a sub 4m Sedan?
• 23:17 Impact of poor service and leadership change
• 23:42 Third gen Octavia
• 26:50 Sales drop after India 2.0 strategy
• 29:20 Skoda’s future plans
• 30:53 Skoda’s tax issue with the Government
• 34:34 Skoda’s plan for Creta competitor
• 35:14 What should Skoda do to bring down their costs?
• 36:51 Skoda’s electric plan
• 39:05 Is diesel an option for Skoda?
• 39:52 Final thoughts