The India Angle to Skoda's ASEAN Ambitions

It started with a series of quiet, determined steps—long flights, intense boardroom discussions, factory visits, and negotiations that stretched late into the night. Around 2019—roughly when Skoda Auto was crafting its India 2.0 strategy—the Czech brand was also looking for a path into Southeast Asia.

The Vietnamese market, with its rapidly expanding middle class and growing appetite for automobiles, stood out. But the Skoda leadership knew that to break into it, it needed the right partner. It met with some of Vietnam’s most powerful industrialists, including executives from VinFast and others. Each potential partner had strengths, but something was ...