This is the first time in corporate history that ŠKODA has produced more than one million vehicles in a calendar year. Today at the main plant in Mladá Boleslav, the jubilee car – a ŠKODA Fabia 1.2 TSI/81 kW in moon-white – rolled of the production line. By achieving the milestone of manufacturing one million vehicles in a single year, the Czech carmaker reaffirms their international growth strategy.
“For the first time in the 119-year history of our company, ŠKODA has today crossed the magic threshold of one million vehicles produced in a single year,” says ŠKODA CEO Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland. “A milestone for the brand that the whole team can be proud of. We will not become complacent about this success. ŠKODA will continue to grow.”
The most comprehensive model campaign in ŠKODA’s history has formed the basis for the growth in production and sales. Since 2010, the Czech manufacturer has comprehensively renewed their model range, and expanded in key areas, particularly at the main ŠKODA plant in Mladá Boleslav – the heart of ŠKODA’s global production network. “The figure of one million vehicles produced this year demonstrates the strength of our Czech and international production sites and the skill of our all production teams,” explains Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA Board Member for Production and Logistics. “We plan to further modernise and expand ŠKODA’s production over the coming years.”
The milestone in production achieved today once again emphasises the outstanding development of the Czech carmaker, especially over the last two decades. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain and joining the Volkswagen Group in April 1991, ŠKODA has recorded a six-fold increase in sales. The rapid resurgence of the legendary automobile brand has indeed been impressive – from the company’s roots in the heart of Europe to an internationally successful manufacturer with currently seven model series and over 40 model variants. From producing only one model in 1991 – the Favorit – ŠKODA today offers the largest and most attractive product range of all time.
An important pillar of the growth over recent years has been the development of new markets beyond Europe. In the early ‘90s, the Czech brand was still unilaterally focused on the domestic market and the Central and Eastern European countries. Nowadays, ŠKODA sells their products in over 100 countries around the world. China has been the brand’s strongest individual market since 2010. In the first eleven months of this year alone, sales on the Chinese market accounted for a quarter of ŠKODA’s total.
Against this background, ŠKODA is putting increasing emphasis on local production in the world’s key growth markets in addition to expanding capacities at home as part of their international growth strategy. In China, the Czechs operate at the sites in Anting, Yizheng and Ningbo in partnership with Shanghai Volkswagen (SVW). To date, more than 1.3 million ŠKODA vehicles have been produced at the SVW plants for the Chinese market. This year ŠKODA has doubled their Chinese product range to six locally produced models. In Russia, the production of ŠKODA models takes place at Nizhniy Novgorod and Kaluga. In India, ŠKODA vehicles run off the production lines in Pune and Aurangabad. ŠKODAs are also manufactured in Slovakia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
Milestones in ŠKODA AUTO production:
› 10 December 2014: ŠKODA manufactures the millionth vehicle in 2014, achieving for the first time one million vehicles produced in a single calendar year
› 19 March 2014: 11 million ŠKODA cars produced at the Mladá Boleslav plant
› 26 August 2013: 4 million ŠKODA Octavias
› 9 July 2013: 1 million ŠKODA cars produced in China since 2007
› 5 February 2013: 15 million ŠKODA cars produced since 1905
› 30 January 2012: 14 million ŠKODA cars produced since 1905
› 12 October 2011: 10 million ŠKODA cars produced at the Mladá Boleslav plant
› 8 April 2009: 12 million ŠKODA cars produced since 1905
› 13 July 2006: 10 million ŠKODA cars produced since 1905
› 1991: 5 million ŠKODA cars produced since 1905