Skoda Auto India appoints Peter Solc as sales and marketing director

Everything official about it now. Autocar Professional had broken this news on July 22.  Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd (SAVWIPL), which manages the India region for the five Volkswagen Group brands – Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, and Lamborghini, has appointed Petr Solc as the Director of Sales & Marketing of Skoda Auto India. Solc succeeds Zac Hollis, who will be taking on another role within the Volkswagen Group.

Petr Solc is moving to India from Volkswagen Group Russia where he was the Head of the Skoda division. With a proven track record of over 17 years working globally with the Skoda brand within the Volkswagen Group, Solc will be responsible for driving further growth for Skoda in India – a key market in the Group’s global expansion strategy. He will take charge of his new responsibilities on 1 September 2022. Zac Hollis will continue to be with Skoda Auto India until 30 September 2022.

Piyush Arora, Managing Director, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, said, “As we witness our best growth this year, India is cementing its place as a focus market for the Group. We continue to strengthen the Skoda Auto India team to further enhance our performance. Petr Solc comes to us with great experience within the Group, and I am confident that he will play a pivotal role in capitalizing on the tremendous growth opportunities in the region. I would like to thank Zac Hollis for creating a solid base for Skoda Auto India during his tenure. I wish him all the best for his future endeavour.”

Christian Cahn von Seelen, Executive Director – Sales & Marketing, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India added, “Petr Solc has been deeply involved in Skoda’s global growth for almost two decades, and he will be an important addition to our dynamic team. I look forward to working with him to further expand Skoda’s reach in India and broaden Skoda’s product range here. I would like to thank Zac Hollis for his outstanding contribution to ensuring the success of the Group’s India 2.0 programme. Under his leadership, Skoda Auto India grew into new dimensions and witnessed its best half-year ever in 2022.”

After graduating from the Technical University in Liberec with a master's degree in economics, Petr Solc began his career at Skoda in 2005, initially in the Central European Sales department. After holding various sales managerial positions in the Northern Europe region, he moved to Volkswagen Group UK in 2013, where he was responsible for the Skoda brand's sales planning and supply. In 2016, he returned to Skoda headquarters, where he became Head of Sales for the Eastern Europe region. Over the past five years, he has managed the Sales activities in the Overseas region and taken significant steps towards developing the Skoda brand in markets such as India, Australia, North Africa, and New Zealand. 

Skoda India headed for best-ever sales in 2023
SAVWIPL recorded its highest-ever H1 sales in India with 52,698 units sold from January to June 2022. Through the first six months of 2022, SAVWIPL's sales were up 200 percent year-on-year. The Group launched 10 models during this period and plans to continue ramping up its product portfolio in the year ahead.

Over the last six months, the Skoda brand has expanded its product portfolio to include the Slavia midsized sedan, the Kodiaq facelift and the Kushaq Monte Carlo in the Indian market. Having sold 28,876 cars in H1 2022, Skoda India is set to achieve its biggest sales year to date.