This is the first time that Škoda has produced more than one million vehicles in a calendar year.
11 Dec 2014 | 3609 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
This is the first time that Škoda has produced more than one million vehicles in a calendar year. Yesterday at the main plant in Mladá Boleslav, the jubilee car – a Fabia 1.2 TSI/81 kW in moon-white – rolled off the line. In achieving this milestone, the Czech carmaker is ...
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This is the first time that Škoda has produced more than one million vehicles in a calendar year. Yesterday at the main plant in Mladá Boleslav, the jubilee car – a Fabia 1.2 TSI/81 kW in moon-white – rolled off the line. In achieving this milestone, the Czech carmaker is reaffirming its international growth strategy.
“For the first time in the 119-year history of our company, Škoda has today crossed the magic threshold of one million vehicles produced in a single year,” said Škoda CEO Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland. “It is a milestone for the brand of which the whole team can be proud. We will not become complacent about this success. Škoda will continue to grow.”
Since 2010, the Czech manufacturer has comprehensively renewed its model range, and expanded in key areas, particularly at the main Škoda plant in Mladá Boleslav – the heart of the carmaker’s global production network. “The figure of one million vehicles produced this year demonstrates the strength of our Czech and international production sites and the skill of our all production teams,” explained Michael Oeljeklaus, Škoda Board Member for Production and Logistics. “We plan to further modernise and expand production over the coming years.”
The production milestone achieved once again emphasises the development of the Czech carmaker, especially over the past two decades. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain and joining the Volkswagen Group in April 1991, Škoda has recorded a six-fold increase in sales. The resurgence of the legendary automobile brand has indeed been impressive – from the company’s roots in the heart of Europe to an internationally successful manufacturer with seven model series and over 40 model variants. From producing only one model in 1991 – the Favorit – Škoda today has its largest product range ever.
An important pillar of the growth over recent years has been the development of new markets beyond Europe. In the early 1990s, the Czech brand was focused on the domestic market and Central and Eastern European countries. Nowadays, ŠKODA sells its products in over 100 countries worldwide. China has been the brand’s strongest market since 2010. In the first 11 months of this year alone, sales in China accounted for a quarter of Škoda’s total.
Against this background, Škoda is putting increasing emphasis on local production in the world’s key growth markets in addition to expanding capacities at home as part of its international growth strategy. In China, the Czechs operate at the sites in Anting, Yizheng and Ningbo in partnership with Shanghai Volkswagen (SVW). To date, more than 1.3 million vehicles have been produced at the SVW plants for the Chinese market. This year the carmaker has doubled its Chinese product range to six locally produced models. In Russia, the production of Škoda models takes place at Nizhniy Novgorod and Kaluga. In India, Škoda vehicles run off the production lines in Pune and Aurangabad. Škodas are also manufactured in Slovakia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
Milestones in Škoda Auto production:
10 December 2014: Skoda manufactures the millionth vehicle in 2014
19 March 2014: 11 million Skoda cars produced at the Mladá Boleslav plant
26 August 2013: 4 million Skoda Octavias
9 July 2013: 1 million Skoda cars produced in China since 2007
5 February 2013: 15 million Skoda cars produced since 1905
30 January 2012: 14 million Skoda cars produced since 1905
12 October 2011: 10 million Skoda cars produced at the Mladá Boleslav plant
8 April 2009: 12 million Skoda cars produced since 1905
13 July 2006: 10 million Skoda cars produced since 1905
1991: 5 million Skoda cars produced since 1905