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Last year’s sales already exceeded at the end of November
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Sales grow 16.3 per cent within the first eleven months of 2011
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More than 800,000 vehicles sold for the first time
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Successful first full year of the ŠKODA Growth Strategy
Mladá Boleslav, December 15th, 2011 – ŠKODA will set a new sales record in 2011. With 816,800 units delivered up to the end of November, the Czech manufacturer broke the 800,000 barrier for an entire year for the first time in its history. This total is already significantly higher than the total sales for all of 2010 (762,600 units).
Compared to the first 11 months of 2010, sales rose 16.3 per cent (2010: 702,400 vehicles). In November alone ŠKODA’s deliveries increased 16.8 per cent to 75,000 vehicles. ŠKODA also recorded its best month ever during November in three markets: Russia, Austria and Australia.
“ŠKODA has sold more cars than ever this year,” said Jürgen Stackmann, ŠKODA’s board member responsible for Sales and Marketing. “In the first full year of our growth strategy, we have made gains in almost all regions and expanded our position in the markets. And we are still putting the pedal to the metal in the last weeks of the year. ŠKODA is on the right track to increase its sales to at least 1.5 million units per year by 2018.”
In its home market of the Czech Republic, ŠKODA grew 10.8 per cent in November – more than twice as much as the overall market (plus 4.5 per cent), selling 5,100 vehicles. The response to the Citigo, which was launched in the Czech Republic in November, has been outstanding. After only a few weeks, ŠKODA has already received more than 1,000 orders for the new small car. The Citigo opens up the growing small car segment for the brand and will be introduced in other European markets in the Summer of 2012.
ŠKODA also made double-digit gains in Central and Eastern Europe. From January to November 2011, sales rose 27.8 per cent to a total of 22,000 vehicles. The Fabia Combi and the Yeti, in particular, enjoyed high demand. In Ukraine, deliveries increased 39.2 per cent, in Croatia 23.2 per cent and in Slovenia 20 per cent.
In Western Europe, ŠKODA was not able to elude the declining market, but still enjoyed a better development than the overall market and remained just slightly under last year’s sales levels. In Austria, the brand reached a new record in November and grew 75.5 per cent. In Finland, sales rose 30.8 percent, in France 21.3 per cent, in Switzerland 16.3 per cent and in Great Britain 12.2 per cent.
As in the past couple of months, ŠKODA recorded significant gains in the growth regions of Russia, India, and China. In Russia, the brand was able to more than double last year’s November result with 8,000 deliveries (plus 131.5 per cent) – a new sales record. In doing so, the Octavia accounted for more than half of the sales in November in Russia. In China, too, sales figures have clearly been pointing upwards, rising 41.9 per cent to 20,200 vehicles in November. In the Indian market, which had declined in recent months (total market: minus 10.6 per cent), ŠKODA was able to increase deliveries 25.9 per cent to 2,300 units.
The Rapid, launched in the month of November, showed good initial sales and was already voted as the “Family Car of the Year” by the Indian automobile magazine Top Gear.
Other markets outside of Europe developed positively as well. In Australia, ŠKODA was able to triple its sales in November, achieving a new sales record on the fifth continent.
Deliveries to customers in November 2011 (Škoda models compared to November 2010):
Octavia (32,800 vehicles/plus 21.5 per cent), Fabia (21,100 vehicles/plus 8.2 per cent), Superb (9,900 vehicles/plus 14.7 per cent), Yeti (6,500 vehicles/plus 43.7 per cent), Roomster (2,900 vehicles/plus 0.3 per cent), Rapid/India (400 vehicles) and Citigo/Czech Republic (200 vehicles).
