ŠKODA gained market shares in Europe this August and once again outperformed the overall market. Despite difficult economic conditions, the brand increased their deliveries in some European markets, including the Czech home market, where the market share grew to 38.2% with over 4,400 deliveries.
ŠKODA sold 64,000 vehicles worldwide in August (August 2012: 67,700; -5.4%). Between January and August, ŠKODA delivered 598,400 cars to customers (January to August 2012: 633,300; -5.5%). So far this year, the development of deliveries, in the context of model renewal, has been influenced by the production start-ups and corresponding capacity limitations of the new ŠKODA Octavia and completely revised ŠKODA Superb. Likewise, the production of the ŠKODA models Rapid Spaceback and Yeti, launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show, is in its ramp-up phase as part of the brand’s current model campaign. The globally difficult market conditions also had a negative influence on ŠKODA’s deliveries in August. By 2018, ŠKODA plans to have increased annual customer deliveries by at least 1.5 million through their expanded model range.
“In a persistently difficult economic environment, ŠKODA demonstrated their strength in August and developed better than the European market,” says Werner Eichhorn, ŠKODA Board Member for Sales and Marketing. “Our new models are very well received by customers. Deliveries of the new ŠKODA Octavia in August were 12.7% up on last year and, in principle, we remain confident for the rest of the year. Our global orders coming in over the first eight months of 2013 have so far been extremely positive.”
ŠKODA is vigorously pursuing their model campaign in the fourth quarter of 2013. As early as October, the new ŠKODA Rapid Spaceback – ŠKODA’s young compact - will be launched on the markets. It is the first compact ŠKODA hatchback and the Czechs’ entry into the strongest vehicle segment in Europe. In addition to the Rapid Spaceback, the completely redesigned ŠKODA Yeti also celebrated its highly acclaimed world premiere a few days ago at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Now the popular SUV, available for the first time in two versions, the ŠKODA Yeti and ŠKODA Yeti Outdoor, will be introduced on the first European markets at the end of 2013.
In Western Europe, ŠKODA developed once again better than the weak overall market in August. The market share has remained stable at over 3% for the first eight months. In total, the Czech brand delivered 21,400 vehicles to western European customers in August, thus remaining at almost the same level as last year (August 2012: 21,700 units; -1.4 %). On their second strongest global market, Germany, ŠKODA is expanding their position as a dynamic volume brand; deliveries to German customers totalled 8,800 (August 2012: 9,200; -3.8 %) in an overall significantly weaker market. In the UK, ŠKODA grew by 15.7% to 2,200 vehicles sold. The brand recorded double-digit growth in the Netherlands (900 vehicles, up 43.2%), Denmark (1,000 vehicles, up 27.2%), Finland (700 vehicles, up 15.2%) and Ireland (300 vehicles, up 55.2%). In Switzerland ŠKODA deliveries rose by 2.1% to 1,200 units in Italy by 1.6% to 600 cars and in Austria with 1,300 vehicles by almost 1%.
In Eastern Europe 10,500 vehicles went to ŠKODA customers (August 2012: 11,300; -7.2%). ŠKODA’s market share has grown to the current 4%. In the Ukraine deliveries grew by 15.1% to 1,500 vehicles and in Kazakhstan even by 134.4 % to 400 vehicles. In Russia – ŠKODA’s the third largest individual market – the Czechs sold 7,100 cars (August 2012: 8,300; -14.6%). The decline has been essentially dominated by the weakness of the Russian market in general.
In Central Europe, ŠKODA delivered 8,500 vehicles in August (August 2012: 8,500; -0.6%). While the overall market declined by nearly 5%, the Czech brand maintains the level of the same month last year and have increased their market share to 19.40%. ŠKODA achieved strong results in their Czech home market, where sales volumes increased by 4.5% to over 4,400 vehicles (August 2012: 4,300). The market share in August stood at 38.2 % and reached almost 35% cumulatively for the first eight months.
With 18,100 deliveries in August, China was again the strongest ŠKODA sales market (August 2012: 19,700 units; -7.9%), where between January and August, 156,300 ŠKODA cars were delivered to customers (January to August 2012: 159,400; -1.9%).
ŠKODA’s customer deliveries – August 2013
(in units, rounded to the nearest 100 and arranged according to model; +/- % compared to August 2012): ŠKODA Octavia (25,400; -16.0 %)
ŠKODA Fabia (13,300; -12.7 %)
ŠKODA Superb (6,900; -17.3 %)
ŠKODA Yeti (4,900; -23.0 %)
ŠKODA Roomster (2,300; -21.8 %)
ŠKODA Rapid (8,300; +410.8 %)
ŠKODA Citigo (only sold in Europe: 3,000; -1.2 %)