Last year was the most successful year in Skoda’s history with new records set in both global vehicle deliveries and financial results.
The company said deliveries in 2017 increased by 6.6% to 1,200,500 vehicles compared to the previous year (2016: 1,126,500). Skoda achieved the most successful financial year in the company’s history. In the same period, sales revenue also reached a new high increasing by 20.8% to EUR16.6bn (US$20.45bn) (2016: EUR13.7bn). Skoda recorded an operating profit of EUR1.6bn, an increase of 34.6% over the previous year (2016: EUR1.2bn).
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Skoda also says it has set the course for further growth with its ‘Strategy 2025’ and the related plans for new models. Over the next two years, Skoda says it will be launching a total of 19 new vehicles, including, in 2019, the series-production version of the Skoda Vision X study, which celebrated its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show 2018.
“2017 has impressively demonstrated how well our broad and attractive model range has been received: 2017 was the most successful year in the company’s history with more than 1.2m vehicles delivered,” says Skoda Auto CEO Bernhard Maier. “I would like to thank all our customers around the world for their confidence in our products and loyalty to our brand. We are more motivated than ever to continue this course. Not only will we be bringing out 19 new models by the end of 2020 but we will also be launching the most comprehensive investment program in the company’s history: Within the next five years, Skoda Auto will invest around two billion euros into electromobility and new mobile services. We are actively implementing our Strategy 2025.”
Klaus-Dieter Schürmann, Skoda Auto Board member for Finance and IT, adds: “In the 2017 financial year, we again increased the number of vehicles delivered and at the same time utilised a high level of capacity at our production sites. In combination with the attractive model mix and optimised product costs, we have continued to grow profitably. The record operating profit of EUR1.6bn (+34.6%) increased disproportionately to sales revenue (+20.8%). This is mainly due to the successful implementation of our SUV strategy and our improved cost positions.”
“Our employees are the most important pillar of this great success,” says Bohdan Wojnar, Skoda Auto Board member for Human Resources, thanking the entire workforce on behalf of the Board of Directors. “With their great commitment and expertise, they have made this fantastic result possible. We will continue to educate and train our employees in the areas of electromobility, automation and robotisation, especially in the future, so they are perfectly prepared for the future developments in the automotive industry.”
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By GlobalDataChina remains the largest single market
Skoda Auto delivered a record number of 1,200,500 vehicles to customers worldwide in 2017, representing an increase of 6.6% compared to 2016 (1,126,500 deliveries). China led the ranking of the ten most successful markets for Skoda Auto last year with 325,000 deliveries. This was followed by Germany (173,300), the Czech Republic (95,000), Great Britain (80,100), Poland (66,600), Russia (62,300), France (27,300), Turkey (25,000), Italy (24,700) and Austria (24,300).
Skoda Auto got off to a strong start in 2018. In January and February, the Czech car manufacturer set new records and increased deliveries to customers by 12.4% to 196,600 units in the first two months (2017: 174,900 vehicles). In March, the Mladá Boleslav automobile manufacturer presented several new products at the Geneva International Motor Show. In addition to the world premiere of the Skoda Vision X study, the company unveiled the extensively revised Skoda Fabia. In addition, the Skoda Kodiaq L&K, the new top model of the popular SUV series, rolled into the spotlight.
Expanded product portfolio
Currently offering seven car series, the Citigo, Fabia, Rapid, Octavia, Karoq and Kodiaq and Superb, the brand says it has the ‘most comprehensive product portfolio in its history’. The Skoda Octavia remained the most popular model in 2017, while sales of the flagship Skoda Superb continued to increase. A significant share of the company’s sales record in 2017 could be attributed to the Skoda Kodiaq. The large SUV achieved around 100,000 deliveries in its first full sales year. The compact SUV Karoq, only launched on the market last autumn, has already achieved 6,500 units, with ‘thousands more pre-ordered’.
Production of the Skoda Citigo BEV planned for 2019
Production of the Skoda Citigo BEV, the brand’s first all-electric model, will start in 2019. In the same year, the Skoda Superb PHEV, Skoda Auto’s first plug-in hybrid model will be running off the assembly line in Kvasiny. From 2019, Skoda Auto will also be producing electrical components for other VW Group brands in Mladá Boleslav. The series production of the Skoda Vision E, a purely electrically powered model based on the Group Platform MEB (Modular Electrification Kit), will follow in 2020. Within the next two years, the manufacturer will be launching a total of 19 new models, including the series model of the urban crossover study Vision X presented at the Geneva Motor Show, which will be coming out next year. Skoda Auto will have a total of ten electrified models on the market by 2025, it says.
South Africa launch in 2019
As part of Strategy 2025, Skoda Auto is also working intensively on the further internationalisation of the company. The brand is currently active in 102 markets and plans to expand its presence to 120 countries. Skoda Auto will be offering its products in Singapore later this year, and plans for the brand’s launch on the South African market in 2019 are in preparation.
