ŠKODA AUTO delivered a total of 1,004,800 vehicles to customers in 2020, surpassing the one-million-delivery mark for the seventh year in a row. Given the considerable strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this figure illustrates the effectiveness of the countermeasures taken. Following the 39-day shutdown of the Czech production sites and the temporary collapse of the sales channels in the second quarter, ŠKODA AUTO managed to regain momentum on the international markets as early as June. In addition to the comprehensive restart programmes to effectively support dealerships, the attractive and modern model range also contributed to this achievement.
ŠKODA AUTO delivered 1,004,800 vehicles to customers worldwide in 2020 despite considerable burdens and major challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To compensate for the temporary collapse of the international sales channels in the second quarter as much as possible, the Czech car manufacturer launched market-specific restart programmes to provide targeted support for its dealerships. The positive development of deliveries in the second half of the year demonstrates the effectiveness of the measures taken.
Despite the ongoing challenging conditions, the Czech car manufacturer delivered 578,100 vehicles worldwide from July to December (first half of 2020: 426,700 vehicles). In addition, ŠKODA AUTO confirmed its successful course in numerous markets over the past 12 months: 24,200 vehicles were sold in Turkey (+56.3%) and 5,500 vehicles in Egypt (+52.8%). In Europe, the car manufacturer also increased its market share to 5.4 %. In Russia, a new record was set with 94,600 vehicles delivered (+6.8%).
ŠKODA AUTO CEO Thomas Schäfer explains: “Delivering over one million vehicles worldwide is a great success for ŠKODA AUTO, especially against the backdrop of the Corona pandemic and the resulting five-week production shutdown during the first wave in spring. I would like to thank the sales team, importers and dealers for this joint effort. An equally big thank you to our colleagues from production, quality management and all other Škodians who fought for every ŠKODA. The entire team has shown stamina, resilience and real passion in these challenging times. We can now look ahead with confidence: ŠKODA has many new products in the pipeline, and I have high expectations for them. Nevertheless, we remain vigilant, and we are keeping a close eye on further developments in the markets.”
ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Sales and Marketing Alain Favey adds: “Thanks to a great team performance, we managed to continue our course successfully last year, even under the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic. I would like to sincerely thank all the employees at our dealerships for their outstanding commitment, flexibility and customer service. It is thanks to their tremendous dedication that we have been able to achieve this success. At the same time, the past twelve months have been a touchstone in every respect, clearly showing that our strategy is working, our programmes are efficient, and our modern model range is in demand among customers. Therefore, I am cautiously optimistic for the coming months, even though, due to the current pandemic, it is not possible to make a reliable statement on the further market development at this point.”
In Western Europe, the carmaker recorded 434,500 deliveries in 2020 (January to December 2019: 520,500 vehicles; -16.5%), with December deliveries at 41,700 vehicles (December 2019: 42,200 vehicles; -1.2%). In Germany, the brand’s second-largest single market, deliveries totalled 161,800 vehicles last year (January to December 2019: 191,200 vehicles; -15.4%). In December, ŠKODA recorded an increase of 10.8% to 16,600 vehicles in this sales region (December 2019: 15,000 vehicles).
In Central Europe, ŠKODA AUTO delivered 181,900 vehicles from January to December 2020 (January to December 2019: 215,800; -15.7%). In December 2020, ŠKODA AUTO recorded 14,600 vehicle deliveries (December 2019: 17,700 vehicles; -17.2%). ŠKODA AUTO increased its market share in the region by 1.74 points to 19.65 %. In the domestic market of the Czech Republic, deliveries decreased by 11.6% to 83,200 between January and December 2020 (January to December 2019: 94,200 vehicles), with market shares increasing by 3.34 percentage points to 41.0%. In December, the carmaker recorded 7,100 vehicle deliveries (December 2019: 7,000 vehicles; +1.1%).
In Eastern Europe excluding Russia, ŠKODA AUTO delivered 39,800 vehicles to customers from January to December 2020 (January to December 2019: 50,200 vehicles; -20.8%). In December, deliveries totalled 4,300 vehicles (December 2019: 4,300 vehicles; -1.8%).
In Russia, the car manufacturer grew by 6.8% in 2020, with deliveries reaching a new record of 94,600 vehicles (January to December 2019: 88,600 vehicles). In December, ŠKODA AUTO recorded 9,700 vehicle deliveries in the region (December 2019: 9,200 vehicles; +5.8%).
In its largest single market worldwide, China, the carmaker delivered 173,000 vehicles to customers between January and December 2020 (January to December 2019: 282,000 vehicles; -38.7%).
In India, ŠKODA AUTO delivered 10,900 vehicles between January and December 2020 (January to December 2019: 15,100 vehicles; -27.9%). In December 2020, deliveries amounted to 1,400 vehicles (December 2019: 1,800 vehicles; -23.0%).
ŠKODA AUTO was able to make significant gains in Turkey. From January to December 2020, the manufacturer increased its vehicle deliveries by 56.3% to 24,200 units (January to December 2019: 15,500 vehicles). In December 2020, the company delivered 2,800 vehicles in the region, an increase of 10.7% (December 2019: 2,500 vehicles).
Deliveries of the ŠKODA brand in 2020 (in units, rounded off, listed by model; +/- in per cent compared to 2019):
ŠKODA OCTAVIA (257,400; -29.2%)
ŠKODA KAROQ (137,200; -10.1%)
ŠKODA KODIAQ (131,600; -23.4%)
ŠKODA KAMIQ (128,500; +99.0%)
ŠKODA FABIA (105,500; -39.0%)
ŠKODA SUPERB (86,200; -17.8%)
ŠKODA RAPID (79,700; -43.9%)
ŠKODA SCALA (63,200; +61.7%)
ŠKODA CITIGO (only sold in Europe: 15,000; -)
ŠKODA ENYAQ iV (600; –)
SOURCE: ŠKODA
