Skoda Auto is celebrating a historic event in Russia: since the start of production in 2009, 750,000 vehicles have been built. The milestone model – a Skoda Kodiaq –  rolled off the production line in Nizhny Novgorod. The SUV is very popular in Russia, with sales of 20,600 units last year.

Russia is a key market for Skoda and the brand has consolidated its position there in recent years: in 2020 alone, it was able to increase market share to 6.8%. With annual deliveries of more than 94,000 vehicles, Russia is now the third-largest sales market for the Czech car manufacturer. The region is also important for the brand because Skoda now has responsibility within the Volkswagen Group for overseeing the Russian, CIS and North African markets, bringing the experience gained in the emerging markets, especially India.

In Russia, Skoda started operations with the second-generation Octavia at the Kaluga factory in 2009. In 2012, the partner plant in Nizhny Novgorod commenced build-to-order production. Today, the Skoda  Karoq is assembled here by full cycle. This process involves the complete assembly of individual vehicle components, including assembly of the body and painting the car.

Currently, the Kaluga factory exclusively produces only one Skoda model – the Rapid, which was updated in May 2020. The Karoq, Kodiaq and the quintessence of the brand, the fourth-generation Octavia, are being built at the Nizhny Novgorod plant.

Growing demand for the Kodiaq
In September 2019, around two years after the start of production, the Kodiaq reached the milestone of 250,000 units. In 2020 alone, the Czech carmaker delivered 131,600 Kodiaqs to customers worldwide. This makes it – after the Octavia and Karoq – one of the bestselling Skoda models.

The Kodiaq is also very popular in Russia. With 20,600 units sold, more than one in five Skodas delivered last year was a model from this range. The SUV has been rolling off the line in Nizhny Novgorod since February 2018.

Key milestones for Skoda in Russia
2009: The first Skoda built in Kaluga rolls off the production line
2012: Sees the production of the 100,000th ŠKODA in Russia
2012: The second plant, in Nizhny Novgorod, starts production
2017: The Kodiaq marks the brand’s SUV debut in the Russian market2018: 500,000 Skoda vehicles have been built in Russia so far
2021: Skoda manufactures 750,000 vehicles in Russia