Skoda's 7-seater SUV to be called Kodiaq

Many of you already know that Skoda exhibited their Vision S concept SUV at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The SUV will officially be called Kodiak. Skoda says that the name is derived from the elusive bear that lives on Alaska's south coast. As a concept, the Skoda Kodiaq is really nice looking with the thin headlights and aggressive grille being quite eye-catching. Skoda says, "The headlights as well as the brand logo and the vertical struts in the grille are characterised by crystalline design features – also a Skoda design tribute to the famed Czech glassmakers." The concept also has lights between the slats of the grille that look quite nice, but we doubt if this will make it to the production model.

The Vision S aka Kodiaq showcases Skoda's future design philosophy too, which is sleek and smart. Skoda says the design is a "balance of rationality and aesthetics", and the Vision S is actually a nice looking machine when viewed from the front, side or rear. The huge wheels are said to be inspired by aerodynamics and small styling elements like the powerful diffuser inset, which surrounds the large, elliptical exhaust pipes and gives this SUV strong road presence.

The Skoda Kodiaq is 4.7-metre long. It's fairly big and longer than SUVs like the Volkswagen Tiguan (4,486mm), Honda CR-V (4,545mm), Hyundai Santa Fe (4,690mm), Audi Q5(4,629mm) and BMW X3 (4,657mm). The Kodiaq is just about as long as a Range Rover Discovery Sport (4,599mm). The Skoda Kodiaq SUV has three rows of seats and will seat seven, according to the official release.

Interestingly, Skoda says, "The Vision S concept car's interior has a democratic character with equal priority given to all occupants. The space is divided symmetrically. All occupants have their own display, each of which can be operated in the simplest of manners. Information is purposefully processed for driver and passengers, and access to the infotainment is optimised for each participant."

The Skoda Kodiaq should be out in Europe later this year, and we think that the car with a 'democratic character' will come to the world's largest democracy sometime next year. As the Skoda Kodiaq is similar in size to the Range Rover Discovery Sport, and if we follow the logic that size will determine price, the SUV should cost around Rs 40 to 50 lakhs. Will the Indian customers pay this amount for a Skoda product? Skoda must definitely be considering this.