Skoda 2025 - Interview with Mr. Ashish Gupta (New Brand Director)

Skoda Auto India is finally enjoying strong momentum in the country after entering the market in 2002. Known for offering premium products with European driving dynamics and build quality, the brand has now climbed to 7th position in market share, overtaking global icons like Honda and MG. Things are getting interesting at the leadership level too, with Mr. Ashish Gupta - formerly Brand Director at Volkswagen India - now taking charge as Skoda's new Brand Director. We at 91Wheels had the opportunity to sit down with him for a candid conversation about the brand's future.

Also Read: Audi Q3 3rd Gen Revealed Globally With Three Powertrain Options

Skoda 2025

The conversation between Bunny Punia and Ashish Gupta began with a discussion about Ashish's newly appointed role as Brand Director of Skoda India. He mentioned that the fundamentals of the business remain the same, as he previously held the same position at Volkswagen, and both brands fall under the same subsidiary. That said, Mr. Ashish shared a light-hearted anecdote about joining Skoda - after entering the office, he had to develop the habit of turning right instead of left, as he was so used to turning left at VW.

Then Bunny Punia asked him about Skoda's market share, which has risen from 10th position in November 2024 to 7th position in May 2025. Ashish responded affirmatively, stating that Skoda has had a tremendous year so far, and after Europe, India is now the brand's biggest market. It's clear that this growth was driven by the success of the Kylaq, launched in January 2025, which has completely changed the game for Skoda over the past few months. Following up on that, Bunny asked him about the sales figures of the Kyliaq - manual vs automatics. Shedding light on this, Ashish said...

The Kylaq deliveries started in March 2025, and every month they are selling about 4,600 to 4,700 units, and the wholesale numbers are even higher (5,000 plus). Speaking of transmission options - manual accounts for 55% to 60%, and that leaves automatic at about 40%. He also mentioned the problem they faced in the beginning of Kylaq sales, when the waiting period for the car went so high, cause the variants they were producing were inversely proportionate to the demands. Now, which Mr. Ashish said, they have corrected.

Skoda Slavia and Kushaq Facelift

Skoda 2.0 started in 2021 with the launch of the Kushaq and Slavia, both built on the MQB-AO-IN platform, sharing the same engines and transmission. Both were found to be perfectly safe, achieving 5-stars in safety tests. However, now it's 2025, and these cars feel outdated in terms of features - as they dont offer ADAS, a 360-degree parking camera, a premium music system, or ambient lighting. Speaking on this topic, Ashish said he couldn't agree more, indicating that their facelifts are coming soon. This is indeed great news for both Skoda fanboys and potential new customers.

Skoda Enyaq

For the past 2-3 years, we've been hearing about the Enyaq - Skoda electric car - and anticipating its launch date, but that just isn't happening, as Mr. Ashish straightaway said no. The reasons he cites are - policy uncertainty of EVs is huge, especially for FBUs (Fully Built Up). So, it's hard to set a price for such a highly competitive niche vehicle, and that's why - even this year - Enyaq won't come to India.

Another Car Launch In 2025

Now, Skoda has already had a fantastic year so far with the launches of the Kylaq and Kodiaq, but there are still six more months left. Another launch is on the horizon - and not just any - Skoda is bringing back a global icon to India. Ashish smirked away, but we believe the launch he was referring to is the fourth-generation Skoda Superb. This luxury sedan was also showcased at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025, and interestingly, with a diesel engine. So, there might be a few chances that diesel could make a comeback in this popular car. That said, the launch will most likely happen in October or November.

Area Where Skoda needs Improvement

Upon asking the question, Ashish without any hesitation said - after-sales experience. He also put focus on - a lot of improvement needs to be done in Skoda service perception. Still, Indians don't move towards the Skoda brand because they have cemented this thought that their services are exorbitantly high. Ashish said, we need to communicate more with customers and debunk this thought. In fact, the service cost of their Kylaq is under Rs 0.50 per km, which is one of the lowest in the segment.

So, this was the conversation we at 91Wheels had with the Skoda head, and we got a lot of insight about their future plans and where they are focusing more.