Not even among top 10 in 2021, India was Skoda's 3rd largest market in 2022

Auto maker's India sales volume jumped by as much as 125% last year, says unit sales catching up with its native Czech Republic

With Skoda Auto's unit sales in India jumping by 125 per cent to 53,721 units in 2022, the country has become the third largest market for the Czech automobile company, its brand director Petr Solc said on Friday.

India was not even among the top 10 markets for Skoda Auto in 2021. "The year 2022 was the biggest for Skoda Auto in India. We have achieved 53,721 units' sales in 2022, which were more than twice the unit sales in the previous year," Solc said during a virtual press conference.

"We (in India) have managed to be in the top three markets for Skoda Auto globally. India is the biggest market for Skoda Auto out of Europe," he noted. In 2022, Germany and the Czech Republic were the No.1 and No.2 markets for Skoda Auto.

He said India was not very far away from the Czech Republic in 2022 in terms of unit sales. "If we (India) continue to grow, we may make it happen (getting number two position)," he added.

In 2021, the top 10 markets for Skoda Auto were Germany, Russia, Czech Republic, China, the UK, Poland, France, Italy, Turkey and Spain. "All the markets in Europe were in decline in 2022. There are very few markets where Skoda Auto reached an all-time high, because of the trouble with semiconductor chip supply," Solc noted.

Skoda Auto had never had such a wide product range as it has right now in India, he noted. "After the successful introduction of Kushaq in 2021, we launched Slavia in the first quarter of 2022," he added. Skoda Auto also sells Kodiaq, Octavia and Superb in India.

"In 2023, for Slavia and Kushaq, we have got very good momentum and we would like to further make sure that these cars are well established in the Indian market," he mentioned.

He said the company aims to launch its first electric vehicle Enyaq in India in the next fiscal year. "Enyaq is the first electric model in Skoda's global range. Skoda is ready to export the cars. We (India) would like to be the next market where Skoda will bring Enyaq," he said, adding that Enyaq is already being tested in India.

He said the company has taken a conscious decision to not take part at the auto expo in Delhi that begins on January 11. "We want to choose the right moment to disclose them (new models)," he added.