Skoda Slavia And Kushaq To Get Major Facelifts, Expected To Launch In 2026
Both these cars will be getting more than just a nip and tuck
Ashish Gupta, the new Brand Director of Skoda India, has confirmed in a roundtable conference that both the Skoda Slavia and Skoda Kushaq will get major updates for their first-ever facelift. Gupta added that both these vehicles will debut in the market “soon”. The Kushaq went on sale in 2021, whereas the Slavia was launched in 2022, and both models are soon due for their first-ever midcycle update.
What Can You Expect?
The first facelift for the Slavia and Kushaq will be comprehensive, involving a restyled exterior, a brand new cabin design and new features.
You can expect both cars to have a significantly redesigned exterior design, utilising Skoda’s new “Modern Solid” design language that the Kylaq is based on. The Slavia and Kushaq are touted to get significantly refreshed front and rear profiles with modern LED lighting elements as well as new alloy wheels. One can also expect new colours to be offered.
The interior of these cars could also be overhauled with an updated dashboard design and new colour schemes.
Obviously, as part of the midlife update, there will be some feature additions to already well-loaded packages. On the cards are a larger 10.25-inch digital driver’s display (up from 8 inches currently), a 360-degree camera, an updated branded sound system, an electronic parking brake with auto hold and probably an advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) suite.
The Kushaq will mainly need an updated feature suite because the smaller Kylaq gets almost all the equipment its larger brother packs. With the facelift, we hope Skoda ensures that there will be more differentiating factors between the Kylaq and Kushaq.
Will Continue With The Same Engine Options
Both the Skoda Slavia and Kushaq are expected to continue with the same 115 PS 1-litre and 150 PS 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engines. You can find the current specifications of both engine options in the table below:
| 1-litre 3-cylinder Turbo-petrol |
1.5-litre 4-cylinder Turbo-petrol |
|
| Power (PS) |
115 PS |
150 PS |
| Torque (Nm) |
178 Nm |
250 Nm |
| Transmission Options |
6-speed manual / 6-speed torque converter (AT) |
7-speed dual-clutch automatic |
There are also rumours of Skoda-VW swapping the 6-speed torque converter automatic in favour of an 8-speed torque-converter automatic for the 1-litre motor.
Expected Launch And Rivals
Skoda has already laid out its plans for 2025, and the next big and only launch as per its presentation, is expected to be the Octavia RS for this year. Therefore, we are expecting both these cars to hit the roads sometime in 2026.
Currently, the Skoda Slavia starts from Rs 10.94 lakh, whereas the Kushaq is priced from Rs 10.99 lakh (both prices, ex-showroom). With the facelift, one can expect prices to increase notably.
The Skoda Slavia goes up against the Honda City, VW Virtus and Hyundai Verna. The Skoda Kushaq locks horns with the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Grand Vitara, VW Taigun and the Honda Elevate.
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