Although ŠKODA's domestic sales have declined in the past two years, unlike the stubbornness of French cars, Skoda is very willing to fully transform the product according to the demand of the localized market, in order to truly gain an advantage in the same level of competition, or to have a higher cost performance. Skoda European headquarters and SAIC Volkswagen, SAIC Volkswagen Skoda is also determined and consensus to hold the Chinese market, taking the Octavia PRO as an example, this car is a Volkswagen Group A-class sedan that is ahead of the Volkswagen brand and the first to be introduced in China using the MQB EVO digital architecture. But perhaps a little unlucky, 2021 Skoda has suffered internal adjustments and "missing cores" industry problems - the Octavia PRO with more than 200 chips in the whole vehicle has borne the brunt of the impact).
Just after New Year's Day 2022, Skoda's important flagship SUV model, the mid-term modification of Kodiak, also came. After the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the car in July last year, it took up to half a year to unveil a new car, perhaps it is waiting for the chip, or it has undergone more polishing to enter the market in the best state.
This time, Skoda's European headquarters also showed enough sincerity, SAIC Volkswagen localized research and development strength, and carried out more secondary development.
First of all, in terms of the appearance of the new Kodiak, this time it is no longer the design of the overseas version of the ordinary model, but adopts the sports style kit of the new Kodiak RS model overseas. There is a hierarchy of car design, such as the Audi RS model and the ordinary model has always had a huge price difference, and the practice of Skoda headquarters is similar to the previous domestic production of Octavia PRO, showing the determination to fight hard.
The front bumper and grille details on the front of the front of the car have been greatly changed, the intake grille has been widened, and the silver-gray trim of the old model has been reduced to become more concise. The metal stamped cover has remained virtually unchanged, but the headlights have been redesigned after the shape of the front bar has been changed, and the headlights have been narrower with the support of new light source technology. The redesigned daytime running lights still emphasize the diamond cut sensation and have been upgraded to a flow crystal design language. The design of the auxiliary lamp under the headlights was retained, but the lens was added to become more refined.
The three chrome-plated Grates, grille hemming and fog lights at the L-shaped three places are added in the domestic process on the basis of the overseas version of the RS model, in order to avoid the dark-colored RS model, although it is sporty, but also easy to cause a sense of depression, in order to adapt to the aesthetics of a wider range of people. But from our first video, there are also some netizens who do not recognize the increase in chrome, they just like the original pure sports design. Maybe in the future, we can launch another original RS suite model that is completely chrome-free, named the high-energy version or the combat version, just like Lynk & Co likes to do.
The side changes little, and the imposing posture and strong muscle lines are the design features of Kodiak, which is different from the overall rounded style of the public.
After the rear design adjustment, the bumper and taillights are mainly. The new taillight design is more "full-bodied" when lit, and it is inspired by the feeling of light being poured into a glass of red wine through light.
The wheelbase of the new car has not changed, it is still 2791mm, and the length of the car has increased from 4698mm by 3mm to 4701mm, which should be a change brought about by the adjustment of the front and rear design kits, of course, this is still a medium-sized SUV with advantages in space. Its main sales configuration card slot is 200,000, with a chassis and powertrain that is completely consistent with Volkswagen Tiguan L and Tanyue... So the lower price means that the interior will necessarily be a little weaker than the Volkswagen brand model, in fact, not necessarily.
Opening the door, we can still see the opening of the umbrella, like Rolls-Royce, but in a practical style.
The domestic model of the instrument cluster is different from the European version, and the redesign is more layered, and the leather wrapping and stitching are used to increase the sophistication. The steering wheel adopts the same new style three-frame design as the Octavia PRO, providing a large 12.1-inch suspension screen, as well as a new 10.3-inch full LCD instrument and a 10-color atmosphere light combination, which greatly enhances the sense of technology. In the video connected with European designers, it was learned that the original European model did not have this central control screen, which is the most envious place for European designers, because in Europe, higher-level price models are needed to support the high cost of this part.
SAIC Volkswagen Skoda also plugged the new smart car MOS 3.X system into this new central control. This car machine system not only supports voice control, navigation, entertainment, team travel, mobile phone control car and other core functions, but also added an Avatar artificial intelligence partner, with a multi-expression intelligent voice image, as well as multi-round dialogue and communication capabilities, similar to the new car-making forces to play that set, such as Weilai NOMI, but the UI design aesthetic is a little inferior, but it has been very careful, in the joint venture brand has been considered prominent. The new model also adds an original driving recorder, and also supports interconnection functions such as CarPlay, which are very concerned by domestic consumers.
The new Kodiak also provides heating and ventilation for the front seats, and the charging interface front and rear are dual-interface designs that provide USB-A+ USB-C, which is greatly appreciated. More storage space is also more practical, but the location of the mobile phone wireless charging panel is not very convenient, and it is easy to be affected by the gearbox gear lever when taking it.
Kodiak is still available in 5-seater and 7-seater models after the mid-term revamp. The 7-seater model I personally prefer to use according to the conventional 5-seater car, its third row is equivalent to "buy 5 get 2 free", support temporary emergency, usually as a large trunk can be.
The driver concluded with >>>
Skoda's car-making concept has always been to create models that meet the needs of the needs - functional and practical, and provide some small but beautiful and intimate functions of the car, it has a "Japanese car in Europe" flavor. This design concept was continued on the new Kodiak, which was revamped in the mid-term redesign, and it was further reinforced towards a youthful and sporty personality.
About 200,000 to buy Volkswagen brand models, often corresponding to 330TSI models and medium configuration, and if the same price point to choose Kodiak, on the basis of the same platform and chassis, you can buy higher displacement or higher configuration models, and after the mid-term redesign will also get a more trendy car and a youthful exterior interior.
Skoda's sincerity leads me to believe that the Chinese market and Chinese consumers will choose to keep it.
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