Škoda Auto has revealed an updated version of the Slavia, the India-built saloon that has found nearly 80,000 buyers since its 2022 launch. The facelift brings new LED lighting front and rear, fresh alloy wheel designs and a reworked cabin, but the bigger news sits in the drivetrain: the 1.0 TSI can now be paired with an eight-speed torque-converter automatic, which the company describes as a first for the segment. A rear-seat massage function and a voice assistant built on Google Cloud technology round out the comfort and connectivity upgrades.

Škoda Auto has taken the wraps off the updated Slavia, the saloon it develops and builds in India on the locally engineered MQB-A0-IN platform. Presented in Mladá Boleslav and Mumbai on 18 August 2026, the car has sold close to 80,000 units to date and sits alongside the Kylaq and Kushaq SUVs in what the brand calls its ‘made in India, for India’ line-up.

A new automatic for the smaller engine

The familiar TSI petrol engines carry over, but the gearbox choice has been widened. The 1.0 TSI can now be specified with an eight-speed torque-converter automatic — a combination Škoda says no rival in the segment currently offers — with a six-speed manual remaining as the alternative. The 1.5 TSI continues with the seven-speed DSG, and cars fitted with that engine now get rear disc brakes.

Škoda has not published power or torque outputs, performance figures or prices for the updated car.

Sharper lighting and a Monte Carlo from launch

Outside, the Slavia gains all-new LED headlamps and redesigned LED taillamps with sequential indicators, plus new alloy wheel designs. Inside, the cabin picks up fresh colour schemes and revised accents. The Monte Carlo trim is offered from launch with dual-tone paint, black exterior detailing, model-specific badging and styling cues the company links to Škoda’s rally history.

Comfort and a voice assistant tuned for Indian English

The headline comfort item is a rear-seat massage function, which Škoda also claims as a segment first. Buyers also get a 360-degree Area View camera, Park Pilot with front parking sensors and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. The 10.1-inch infotainment system supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and adds an AI Companion running on Google Cloud’s Automotive AI Agent. According to the manufacturer, it has been developed to understand Indian English accents and handles music, calls and climate control by voice.

Five-star safety carried over

The Slavia holds five stars for both adult and child occupant protection in Global NCAP testing. Škoda lists more than 25 active and passive safety features as standard across the range, including six airbags, along with rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlamps, an auto-dimming interior mirror and anti-glare door mirrors.

“With nearly 80,000 sold cars to date, the Slavia has established a strong position in this dynamic segment. Building on its proven qualities, we are introducing targeted improvements in powertrain, comfort and connectivity that further enhance its appeal.” — Martin Jahn, Škoda Auto Board Member for Sales and Marketing

What it means

India has become Škoda’s most important market outside Europe. The brand has been present there since 2000 as the first Volkswagen Group marque in the country, took over the group’s Indian operations in 2018 and says strong demand for the sub-four-metre Kylaq helped it almost double deliveries in 2025 against the previous year. The Slavia is exported from India to Vietnam, the Middle East and Africa, and the country also acts as a hub for the wider ASEAN region.

The saloon segment matters commercially here in a way it no longer does in much of Europe, and an automatic gearbox is an increasingly common expectation among Indian buyers — which makes the eight-speed torque converter arguably the most consequential part of this update. The Slavia currently shares Škoda’s Indian saloon range with the Octavia RS, and the brand says the Superb will join them in 2027.

Facts: Škoda Slavia (updated)

  • Platform: MQB-A0-IN, developed and built locally in India
  • Engines: 1.0 TSI and 1.5 TSI petrol (outputs not stated)
  • Transmissions: six-speed manual or new eight-speed torque-converter automatic (1.0 TSI); seven-speed DSG (1.5 TSI)
  • Infotainment: 10.1-inch screen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, AI Companion via Google Cloud
  • Instruments: 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit
  • Safety: six airbags, 25+ active and passive features standard, five-star Global NCAP for adult and child occupants
  • Sales to date: nearly 80,000 units since early 2022

Škoda has not announced pricing or an on-sale date for the updated Slavia, which is offered from launch in Monte Carlo trim among others.

Source: www.skoda-storyboard.com