ŠKODA Annual Press Conference

Last year, ŠKODA delivered 1,253,700 vehicles to customers and once again broke its sales record. Turnover was in excess of EUR 17.3 billion and the profit came to EUR 1.4 billion.

The marque’s bestseller remains the OCTAVIA, which accounts for almost a third of the total sales volume. Needless to say, board chairman Bernhard Maier also discussed new models: “In Geneva last year, we presented the VISION X concept. That became a production car, the ŠKODA KAMIQ, which we unveiled just two weeks ago, again at the Geneva Motor Show. The VISION RS plug-in hybrid concept, a sensation at the Paris Motor Show, showed how we plan to move forward with the RS in the future and heralded the new SCALA.“

ŠKODA is keen to continue its successful development and model offensive, with plans to introduce 30 models by 2022, of which 10 will be fully or partially electric. The brand’s first electric cars will be the fully electric CITIGO and the plug-in hybrid SUPERB PHEV. Board chairman Bernhard Maier has a clear vision of the brand’s future: “By the mid-2020s, we will be producing over two million cars per year, making ŠKODA a truly global player on the automotive market.”

A revolution is sweeping the entire automotive industry, and ŠKODA is very much involved. It’s not just about cutting emissions and switching to electric vehicles. ŠKODA sees the broader picture. It will not just be a carmaker, but also a purveyor of comprehensive smart solutions. In its home town alone – Mladá Boleslav – there will be some 7,000 charging stations for electric vehicles by 2025. The company cooperates closely with towns and cities to work out how to optimise traffic, while harnessing the potential of today’s digitally entangled world. In consequence, its vehicles can become emission-neutral, comfortable, fully online “perfect third places” between the office and home, or a routinely shared means of transport.

Board chairman Bernhard Maier summed up the brand’s precipitous progress and promising outlook by closing with the words: “We are scaling up our efforts in all areas so that we end up stronger as a result of the transformation process. And in the future, just as we have done in the long history of our brand stretching back more than 120 years, we will remain loyal to our mission: to provide people with individual mobility.”

Speech by Bernhard Maier, ŠKODA AUTO Board Chairman

Speech by Klaus-Dieter Schürmann, Board Member for Finance and IT