Photo: 315che.com
Over in the People’s Republic of China, Skoda in on the offensive. After the compact-sized Karoq and mid-sized Kodiaq, the Czech automaker will introduce the Kamiq on April 25th at the Beijing Motor Show, sporting the A05+ architecture.
Also used by the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta, Santana, 2012 SEAT Toledo, and 2012 Skoda Rapid, the A05+ was chosen for better competitiveness against rivals from Nissan (Kicks), Citroen (C3-XR), and Hyundai (ix25). The MQB would’ve been a better choice, but then again, price is of utmost importance in the Kamiq’s segment.
Spied by the carparazzi at 315che.com ahead of the grand reveal, the newcomer is a China-only affair that takes the brand’s Simply Clever motto to another level. The interior of the Kamiq, as you can tell, shows more storage spaces than the Karoq offers, including one at the top of the dashboard and one next to the gearbox’s lever.
Chinese media reports the crossover measures 4,390 millimeters in length and 1,781 millimeters in width, sporting a wheelbase of 2,610 millimeters. The numbers put it neck-and-neck with the Rapid, which is manufactured in China by Shanghai Volkswagen at the former SAIC Volkswagen facility in Yizheng, Jiangsu province.
Scheduled to go on sale in June 2018, the Kamiq is estimated to start in the region of 90,000 to 100,000 yuan. Converted at current exchange rates, that’s $14,325 to $15,915 for the entry-level trim. The standard manual transmission will be paired with a 1.5-liter engine of the naturally aspirated variety, packing 110 PS (108 horsepower).
All in all, the Kamiq is a cheaper interpretation of the Euro-spec Karoq. The China-spec Karoq is that little longer, which helps with the position of the Kamiq within the lineup. On the other hand, it’s a shame that Skoda made the headlights look so dreary, more so if you bear in mind Volkswagen owns Italdesign.
After the Kamiq, Skoda will go upmarket in China with the Kodiaq GT. Essentially a coupe-ified take on the Kodiaq, the GT will be unveiled by year’s end.
Spied by the carparazzi at 315che.com ahead of the grand reveal, the newcomer is a China-only affair that takes the brand’s Simply Clever motto to another level. The interior of the Kamiq, as you can tell, shows more storage spaces than the Karoq offers, including one at the top of the dashboard and one next to the gearbox’s lever.
Chinese media reports the crossover measures 4,390 millimeters in length and 1,781 millimeters in width, sporting a wheelbase of 2,610 millimeters. The numbers put it neck-and-neck with the Rapid, which is manufactured in China by Shanghai Volkswagen at the former SAIC Volkswagen facility in Yizheng, Jiangsu province.
Scheduled to go on sale in June 2018, the Kamiq is estimated to start in the region of 90,000 to 100,000 yuan. Converted at current exchange rates, that’s $14,325 to $15,915 for the entry-level trim. The standard manual transmission will be paired with a 1.5-liter engine of the naturally aspirated variety, packing 110 PS (108 horsepower).
All in all, the Kamiq is a cheaper interpretation of the Euro-spec Karoq. The China-spec Karoq is that little longer, which helps with the position of the Kamiq within the lineup. On the other hand, it’s a shame that Skoda made the headlights look so dreary, more so if you bear in mind Volkswagen owns Italdesign.
After the Kamiq, Skoda will go upmarket in China with the Kodiaq GT. Essentially a coupe-ified take on the Kodiaq, the GT will be unveiled by year’s end.
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