Skoda Auto heads towards 2009 sales target

The Czech Republic's largest car manufacturer is already very close to its 2009 sales target. With sales of 570,217 vehicles worldwide between January and October, Skoda Auto is just 1.7% below 2008’s record-breaking sales figure.

China is a major contributor to Skoda Auto’s sales target - over 100,000 cars have been sold so far this year already. After just three years in the Chinese market Skoda has achieved 93% growth year on year.

Reinhard Fleger, Skoda Auto’s BOD Member responsible for sales, said, “Having become one of the key markets in Skoda Auto's global strategy, China is playing a major role in the brand's future development. The Octavia has been a great success since its launch in June 2007. The Fabia, launched last December, is also very successful. The launch of the Superb in August this year was exceedingly important for further expansion in this market. Passing the milestone of 100,000 vehicles is a big step in developing the Skoda brand in China and also a great motivation to ensure that this positive trend continues.”

Alfred Rieck, Skoda’s China President and Volkswagen Group’s China Vice-President added, “Skoda is very well accepted by our Chinese customers and this applies to all three models that we have launched in China. We intend to offer high-quality products here that surpass our customers' expectations.”

In the UK, Skoda has delivered 29,500 new cars to customers between January and October this year. The introduction of the new cross over, Yeti, in September has been a great success with over 800 orders taken since launch. The scrappage scheme has also had a positive impact for Skoda with over 9,300 orders taken since the scheme started.