Skoda Superb facelift to launch in India in May 2020, could get a 2.0-litre TSI motor

Skoda India's director of sales, service and marketing has revealed on Twitter that the firm will launch the updated Superb sedan in India in May 2020. The facelifted Superb was unveiled internationally earlier in 2019 and comes with numerous changes. He also said that a similarly powered Kodiaq will come later in 2020.

In keeping with the VW Group's decision to focus on petrol and electrified engines once the BSVI norms come into force in April 2020, the Superb facelift is expected to come with a single petrol engine option. We've already seen this with the firm's latest launch here, the Audi A6, which is available with a single 2.0-litre petrol motor. The new Superb for India will get a similar engine. The Superb is available with two 2.0-litre options. We expect India to get the less powerful version that comes only in a FWD layout. This version makes 190PS between 4,200 and 6,000rpm, max torque is 320Nm from 1,500 to 4,100rpm. This 1,984cc 4-cylinder turbo-petrol is paired with a 7-speed DCT. A more powerful 272PS and 350Nm version of this motor is also available internationally with an AWD system but that seems unlikely for India.

As for design changes to the Superb facelift, the butterfly grille now has a thick chrome strip running over it while the headlamps are slimmer and full matrix LED units with new elements. Also new is the front bumper. The air dam is wider and stretches the entire length of the car, also housing the wide LED fog lamps. It gets the wide Skoda lettering seen on the Scala while the tail lamps now have new detailing. Most notable is the thin chrome strip that runs the entire length of the rear, cutting through the lights, which now have sequential turn indicators. The rear bumper too has been redesigned with new grey inserts. The side profile remains identical, just with new split chrome badging on the fenders and doors. The car will sport new alloy wheel designs as well. The interior's biggest addition is the Virtual Cockpit instrument cluster, VW's newest infotainment system and new chrome and other trim designs around the cabin.

Globally, the Superb is now also available with a plug-in hybrid option for the first time. The Superb iV, as this version is called, gets a 1.4 TSI motor making 158PS and an electric motor with 116PS. These are mated to a six-speed DSG for a combined output of 221PS. This arrangement has already been seen on the Passat GTE and like that car, the 13.5kWh battery lets the Superb iV cover 55km on electric power alone. We think this could be made available here at a later date.

Prices for the new Superb should increase by around five to 10 per cent, given the more advanced engines and new tech.