Skoda grows 26.4% in January

It has been strong start to the new year for Skoda Auto with 68,400 units sold. The Czech manufacturer’s sales rose 26.4% in January of 2011 when compared to the previous year (January 2010: 54,100 sold units). The Fabia (30% increase) and Superb (80% increase) have seen a surge in demand. The source of this additional demand can be partially attributed to double-digit increases in the growth regions of China, India, and Russia.

“Skoda consistently and emphatically continues on its course in 2011” explained Jürgen Stackmann, the Skoda board member for sales and marketing. “We are focusing on a clear goal and want to at least double our sales by 2018. Our performance in the growth regions continues to be above average. Particularly positive is the good performance of the Fabia, which has won many new customers worldwide. In India, every second Skoda sold was a Fabia.”

Skoda remains as the clear market leader in the Czech Republic.In its home market, the company sold a total of 4,200 vehicles. An impressive sales increase of 230% was recorded by the company’s flagship, the Superb Estate, with more than 400 units sold in the Czech Republic alone. Sales of both the Octavia hatch and estate rose by 37 percent.

In Central and Eastern Europe, Skoda recorded double-digit increases in sales. In Hungary, sales rose by 71.1%, while the figure was 59.1% in Croatia. In Slovakia, Skoda leads the car registration statistics with around 1,000 vehicles and a market share of 22.4%.

In the competitive Western Europeanmarkets (excluding Germany), Skoda was also able to demonstrate strong growth. In this region, sales rose by 22.4% to 19,200 units. In the Netherlands, the brand's sales rose almost six-fold to more than 3,000 vehicles. Significant increases were also achieved in Belgium (120.2% increase), Sweden (35.6% increase), Ireland (31.4% increase), and Austria (15.4% increase).

The strongest growth results in January were recorded by the markets of China, India, and Russia. In China, the largest foreign market of the brand, sales increased 40.0%, reaching 20,500 units. In Russia, sales nearly doubled the previous year’s figure with 3,400 vehicles sold (January 2010: 1,800 units). In India, Skoda achieved a 60.8% increase in sales with 2,800 vehicles sold.

In 2010, Skoda UK completed a record year achieving registrations of over 41,000, up 10.5% when compared to the previous year whilst also reaching a record 2% market share. In January 2011 Skoda UK achieved sales of over 3,000 units, an increase on 2010, and maintained a +2% market share.