Skoda Auto India plans double-digit growth with ‘ten product actions’ in 2026

Czech automotive brand Skoda is targeting up to 12 per cent sales growth in India in 2026, driven by “ten product actions” and network expansion, a senior company official said.

Skoda Auto India, which has launched the facelift version of its mid-sized SUV Kushaq, is also aiming to cross the 1 lakh annual sales milestone in the future, though not in 2026. The company sold close to 72,000 units in 2025, Brand Director Ashish Gupta told PTI.

Passenger vehicle retail sales in India stood at 44,75,309 units in 2025, compared to 40,79,532 units in 2024, marking a growth of 9.7 per cent, according to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). The increase was supported by GST reforms.

“I expect a growth of 4-5 per cent in the market this year, and 4 to 5 per cent on such a high base would be a great growth,” Gupta said when asked about the outlook for domestic passenger vehicle sales.

On Skoda Auto India’s performance, he said the company recorded nearly 100 per cent growth in 2025 with sales of close to 72,000 units, but added that sustaining such growth annually is not feasible. “Replicating 100 per cent growth every year is just impractical. Our base has become higher… at least a 10 to 12 per cent growth is what we are expecting this year,” he said.

Responding to a query on the 1 lakh annual sales target, Gupta said, “We would like to breach that mark soon, but we have to be realistic… We have to see what product portfolio we have… 10 to 12 per cent growth (in 2026) on the high base that we have for our network, is substantial growth for a brand like us.”

He added that Skoda is currently the seventh-largest brand in the country by volumes, behind Kia India. “We are now the number seven brand in the country in terms of volumes (behind Kia India). We want to outpace the market,” Gupta said.

The company plans to achieve this through product interventions and expansion of its sales network across the country.

(With inputs from agencies)