Skoda launches upgraded variant of Yeti at Rs 18.6 lakh

Mumbai: Auto giant Skoda Auto on Wednesday launched an upgraded variant of its premium compact SUV Yeti, priced in Rs 18.63-20.14 lakh range, ex-showroom Mumbai, and said it will not unveil any new car model in India in the near future.

The carmaker, which sells only four diesel models in India -- Superb, Octavia and Fabia besides Yeti -- said it will not bring in any new models into the domestic market, where it will continue with the existing product range as part of its short-term strategy.

"The refreshed models in our line-up reflect our new phase here. To complement our ongoing model offensive we will focus on the overall ownership experience with the brand and will continue to treat customer satisfaction as top priority," Skoda Auto India Chairman and Managing Director Sudhir Rao said at the launch.

Admitting that the premium SUV compact segment has seen ups and downs in terms of demand, Rao said, "now, there is a secular trend towards customers wanting richer cars. The demand for our Octavia and Superb is expected to pick up in the next 18-24 months."

He, however, maintained the company, a subsidiary of Germany's Volkswagen Group, will not get into the volume segment any time soon and continue with its current portfolio of four products.

Skoda is in the process of revamping its dealerships and service centres to address servicing issues in a more effective way, said the company's Director (Sales & Marketing) Pawel Szuflak.

"There have been (service) issues in the past but the situation is now different. on Wednesday, all our efforts are focused to track, look, improve and bring our service to the next level," Szuflak said.

Skoda currently has 80 dealerships and 79 service centres in the country. It has taken several measures, including revamping the outlets and service centres and setting up a spare parts distribution centre in the South, which will be functional from next year, he said.