Skoda Peaq for India: Flagship EV Bet Makes Sense Only as a Halo
Skoda Auto India is evaluating its upcoming Peaq electric SUV, the brand's largest model, for an India launch in a well-equipped variant. The Peaq gets its global unveil on June 23, 2026. Brand director Ashish Gupta has confirmed the flagship EV is on his radar, alongside a separate locally built EV project aimed at volumes.
What was announced
Skoda Auto India brand director Ashish Gupta has confirmed the company is actively evaluating the Peaq, the brand's upcoming flagship electric SUV, for the Indian market. The Peaq will be Skoda's largest model globally and is scheduled for its world unveil on June 23, 2026. It is expected to offer over 600km of range.
Skoda needs the Peaq to shape perception and a locally built EV to actually move metal; one without the other is a wasted effort.
Speaking to Autocar India, Gupta said the Peaq is on his radar as a brand shaper, but specifications are still being studied. His position is that the car must come in a premium specification rather than as a bare-bones variant at a high price, and his stated ambition is to have Skoda's full global portfolio available in India by next year.
Separately, Skoda is also working on a locally built EV project intended to drive volumes, positioned well below the Peaq. Skoda's existing global EV portfolio includes the entry-level Epiq, recently unveiled in Europe at around 26,000 euros, roughly Rs 28.70 lakh. However, Autocar India notes its size, range and price ratio do not work for India, where it would have to face the Hyundai Creta Electric and other established mid-size electric SUVs. The Peaq, by contrast, would slot above Skoda's current India range, which currently tops out with the Kodiaq, and would mark the brand's first premium EV in the country.
The Car Jury verdict
Bringing the Peaq is the right call, but only as a halo. Skoda India has no premium EV today, and a 600km-plus flagship parked above the Kodiaq gives showrooms a story that the Kushaq and Slavia cannot tell. Ashish Gupta's line about not landing a bare-bones car at a premium price is the correct instinct; a stripped CBU Peaq priced against a German would die quietly.
The real volume answer is the locally built EV Skoda is working on in parallel, and that is the car that must land sharp. The Epiq at 26,000 euros simply does not translate against a Hyundai Creta Electric, which is where the money actually is. As MotorOctane's Rachit Hirani noted about the wider market, brands are now launching EVs alongside ICE rather than betting one way. Skoda needs both: Peaq to shape perception, the local EV to pay the bills.
