[SKC-auto]

Skoda may quit China and focus more on India.

Looks like second company after Jeep to exit China, obvious reason to me is increase in preference to Chinese EV manufacturers.

Czech carmaker Skoda Auto, part of Volkswagen, is considering withdrawing from China and will make a final decision next year, CEO Klaus Zellmer was quoted as saying by the weekly magazine Automobilwoche.

The competition is very intense there, so we will consider, together with our Chinese joint venture partner, how we want to proceed," Zelmer was quoted as saying. "If we want to focus our energy, it's worth checking all scenarios and then deciding.

Skoda wants to focus more in India at the moment, he said.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aut...rt-2022-12-11/

[volkman10]

ŠKODA AUTO India announces its key goals for 2023.

The company will build on the 125% YoY growth achieved in 2022, SKODA's biggest Year ever in India, with its customer-centric approach, product actions, stronger network and enhanced ownership experience.





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[volkman10]

Skoda plans for 2023-24.

Skoda Auto India is confident of outpacing the market and expects to grow by 20-25 percent in 2023.

- Eyes double-digit growth in 2023,

- Plans Enyaq EV launch in the autumn of FY24

- Steadily grow network reach, continue with our laser-sharp focus on customer satisfaction and deepen our strategic focus on widening the portfolio with both ICE and EV.

- Entering the domestic electric passenger vehicle market next fiscal with the Enyaq iV, its first electric SUV which will be a completely built unit (CBU).

- Will see the response the Electric Enyaq gets and then further decide on the localisation plans. The company will also explore hybrids along with Pure EVs, but the focus is on Battery electric vehicles and then hybrids.

- Will be forced to discontinue its Superb and Octavia BSVIA versions and will go back to the drawing board and come up with the BSVIB versions in FY24.

- Skoda is anticipating that improved supply for its CBUs like Kodiaq and a few limited-edition variants will keep the top end of the market active.

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[volkman10]

Skoda sells 731,300 cars in 2022, India accounts for 7% of global sales.

With best-ever annual sales of over 50,000 Skoda cars and SUVs, India is speedily growing into a growth region for the Czech carmaker; its contribution to global sales has increased to 7% from 3% in CY2021.

The Czech carmaker sold a total of 731,300 vehicles worldwide last year, down 16.72% on CY2021’s 878,200 units.

delivered 731,300 vehicles worldwide last year, and we more than doubled our deliveries in India, already one of our three most important markets.

Skoda Auto India, which retails five models – the Slavia, Superb and Octavia sedans, and Kushaq and Kodiaq SUVs – reported its best-ever annual wholesales of 53,721 units in CY2021, which constitutes strong growth of 125% over CY2021’s 23,858 units.



The growth drivers have been the Kushaq midsize SUV (which is estimated to have sold 26,666 units and is among India’s Top 25 best-selling SUVs) and the Slavia midsize sedan.

Skoda Auto India is targeting strong double-digit growth in CY2023 and also plans to enter the electric vehicle market with the Enyaq iV, which will be introduced as a CBU (completely built unit) later this year.

Skoda has announced plans to enter the Vietnam market, a strategic growth area where India will play a key role with the assembly of the Made-in-India Skoda Kushaq and Slavia commencing there in 2024.


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[volkman10]

Škoda Auto: almost 780,000 vehicles produced worldwide in 2022.

› Despite major challenges, Škoda Auto produced nearly 780,000 vehicles worldwide
› The Czech carmaker started producing MEB battery systems in Mladá Boleslav in May 2022
› The company is about to enter the Vietnamese market, where assembly of CKD kits for the Škoda Kushaq and Slavia models will start in 2024



I

n 2022, Škoda Auto produced around 42,000 vehicles at Chinese plants in Changsha (Škoda Kodiaq and Kodiaq GT), Nanjing (Škoda Kamiq, Kamiq GT and Superb), Ningbo (Škoda Octavia, Octavia Pro and Karoq) and Yizheng (Škoda Rapid).

During the same period, the carmaker built almost 56,000 vehicles at its Indian plants in Pune (Škoda Kushaq and Slavia) and Aurangabad (Škoda Octavia, Kodiaq and Superb). The Aurangabad plant uses 100% ‘green’ energy and is on track to being CO2-neutral by 2025.

The Slavia is the second model Škoda has successfully launched in India after the Kushaq SUV, which was developed specifically for the needs of customers on the subcontinent as part of the INDIA 2.0 project. The Škoda Slavia and Kushaq are based on the MQB-A0-IN platform, especially developed for the Indian market.
From 2024, Škoda Auto will be exporting both model series in CKD format to Vietnam, where they will be completed at the newly built CKD assembly plant. The car manufacturer is thus underlining the strategic importance of India for its further development in Asia and the company’s overall internationalisation strategy.

Source: Škoda

[volkman10]

Top level exits at Skoda India.

. Head of Sales - Ajay Raghuvanshi and Head of marketing Tarun Jha resign from the company.

Link

[Venkatesh]

Christian Cahn von Seelen, Executive Director of Sales, Marketing, and Digital, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India.

Skoda Auto Volkswagen India has turned fully e20 compliant with the majority of models in its India 2.0 lineup comprising the Skoda Kushaq & Slavia and the Volkswagen Virtus & Taigun range passing the e20 test for blending ethanol with petrol.

Source

[volkman10]

India to be a strategic export base for Skoda: MD Piyush Arora. Exports in focus.

Multiple model upgrades and tweaks in 2023 will help Skoda Auto Volkswagen sustain growth in India.

Skoda will be exporting models first to Vietnam
VW group has been exporting Vento to Mexico, South Africa

looking at a double-digit growth because we clearly want to move in the direction of the Group’s [target of] 5 percent market share [in India]. Last year was not only constrained because of the supply situation, but also because of product availability. Slavia was only available for 9 or 10 months, while Volkswagen Virtus was available only for 6 months. Having the availability of all products, we look at double-digit growth. Not only for Skoda and Volkswagen, but for the complete group

EV Plans:

EV plans for India are progressing, and the Group is going to rely on CBUs and CKDs before locally produced models for India are firmed up. The VW Group’s pact with Mahindra may help the Indian subsidiary too.

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[volkman10]

Skoda Auto Volkswagen India invokes force majeure in India due to chip shortage.



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[volkman10]

Global:

More power to Škoda: MPI & TSI. Škoda in charge of combustion engines for 7 brands.

Škoda developers’ technical know-how has been honoured with another prestigious assignment. The developers have been given responsibility for the development of EA 211 series combustion engines for 50 model lines of seven Volkswagen Group brands.

Škoda will develop all EA 211 series internal combustion engines for the entire group. So far, the Czech carmaker has mainly developed naturally aspirated MPI engines of this series, but now it will also take responsibility for the development of TSI units.

The developers in Mladá Boleslav will continue to improve and adapt these engines to the needs and regulations of dozens of global markets. The aim is to develop even more powerful and more fuel-efficient engines with lower emissions, with an emphasis on maximum reliability.


Source: Škoda

[Venkatesh]

Skoda Kushaq bodyshell on display.



Link

[volkman10]

Skoda aims to bring Enyaq( EV) in FY24 to India.

Skoda aims to bring in the Enyaq EV in the current fiscal year. That's the word coming in from Petr Solc, Brand Director, Skoda Auto India.

India was the third biggest market for Skoda, and if the EV development was positive, then they would bring in more electric models to the country.

if they see a quick transformation to the EVs, it will be their future (plan) as well, to bring a robust portfolio of ICE models and also have in parallel, a wide portfolio of electric models.

On Superb and Octavia:

The new generation that will be developed and used in Europe, we would like to bring it back and also bridge the period to bring certain supply to India on the Superb. So the first primary focus is to bring the Sedan of Superb, and we will see then if there is potential also to bring the adequate engine of Octavia. Right after that could be Octavia and bring a limited quantity of Octavia RS to India

Link

[volkman10]

Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer says next phase of investment in India approved, targets 5% share by 2030.

- Compact SUV coming in 2025
- Increasing volumes of 'Made in India' products through exports
- Looking above and below the Kushaq and Slavia for more potential
- Just fixed our investment strategy for the years to come in terms of facelift for the existing products and adding new products, especially in battery electric vehicle direction.
- 20% in 2030 for BEV share.
- Achievable market share of 5 percent. (2030)
- Hybrids with a battery do increase the material cost, however there is an increase in range. Looking at localising the componets
- Going to bring over the Enyaq next year.
- In Europe – the Elroq, for example and then the A0 BEV in 2025. Could explore these cars for India beyond 2025
- Skoda brand is very well established in India at the top-end premium saloons. Looking at the next Superb and Octavia for India.


Link

[volkman10]

Three million and counting: Škoda Auto’s SUV success story continues.

› The anniversary vehicle is a black Škoda Kodiaq Sportline, manufactured at the Kvasiny plant
› With over 841,000 units produced to date, the second-generation Kodiaq is set to debut in the coming weeks
› Škoda produces its SUV models in the Czech Republic, China, India, Ukraine and Slovakia
› The forerunner of Škoda’s SUVs, the Trekka, stands out as the first vehicle fully designed and manufactured in New Zealand

Boosted by the Kushaq’s success in India, SUVs now represent nearly half of Škoda’s global deliveries.

The Kushaq: Made in India for India

Introduced in 2021, the Škoda Kushaq is the brand’s first locally manufactured model in India. With close to 64,000 units produced since its launch, the Kushaq underscores Škoda’s commitment to the Indian market. Leveraging existing synergies for dynamic growth markets, the first Kushaq vehicles from the Pune plant will be exported to Vietnam as CKD (Completely Knocked Down) units, set for final assembly there from the second half of 2024 onwards.



Source: Škoda

[volkman10]

Skoda Auto Volkswagen India posts record turnover of US$ 2.2 billion in FY23, profits rise over 48 percent.

Incremental volumes from India 2.0 cars and growth in premium brands helped Europe’s largest automaker to post healthy operational performance.

The discussion on the expansion of product portfolio for both ICE and EVs is on the agenda, for not only mainstream brands Skoda and VW, but even localising and manufacturing of EVs for Audi in the country is also part of the agenda

Skoda Auto posted its highest-ever volumes in the country, posting a growth of 55 percent during the year. Led by the strong safety ratings for its SUVs Kushaq and Slavia sedan, the company continues to build traction in the marketplace. It ended the year with 245 touchpoints.

Volkswagen brand too posted a volume growth of 29% in the country during FY23 – led by its fresh portfolio of Taigun, Virtus and Tiguan.

Volkswagen's network footprint stood at 158 sales, and 125 service touchpoints in 117 cities in FY23.

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