We Knew This Was Coming! India Becomes Third Largest Market For Skoda - Eyes Further Growth

This 'Peak-to-Peak Drive' showcased the achievements of Skoda Auto India and its India-made products to many automotive experts from India and all corners of the world. The celebration also commemorated the 5-Star safety ratings achieved by the Skoda Kushaq SUV under the new more stringent crash testing protocols.

Speaking about the occasion, Mr Petr Šolc, Brand Director of Skoda Auto India said, "Usually, we call the world to our Mladá Boleslav headquarters and showcase our products. It gives me great pleasure and pride to invite the world to India to showcase our India-developed and India-made products, which have proven themselves on the world stage. It was an incredible few days for all of us at Skoda Auto India, interacting with experts from India and the world. Our INDIA 2.0 heroes were in their element in the beautiful foothills of the Himalayas. 2022 has been a remarkable year for us. With the response we have received, we are confident of carrying forward this momentum into 2023, and beyond."

On top of this, Skoda Auto India also announced the introduction of the Skoda Kushaq Anniversary Edition along with Model Year 2023 updates to both the Kushaq SUV and the Slavia sedan in the country.

Diving into details, with already a month and more to complete the year 2022, Skoda Auto India has already recorded its biggest sales figure in India with the sale of 44,500 cars from January to October this year.

In these months, Skoda Auto India also witnessed record-breaking sales months, sales quarters and H1 - Further proving the success of its INDIA 2.0 business strategy and its Made-in-India MQB-A0 IN platform.

Speaking about the MQB-A0 IN platform, both the Skoda Kushaq SUV and the Skoda Slavia sedan are built on this platform and boosted the Czech automaker's growth and stature in the Indian market.

This year, Skoda Auto India under its India 2.0 business strategy not only focused on its products but also concentrated on its business processes by expanding its reach and network across India from 175 touchpoints in December 2021 to 250 touchpoints by the end of the year. On top of that, Skoda Auto India also enabled lower maintenance costs for its cars and upgraded its showrooms by completely digitalising them.

To improve customer engagement, Skoda Auto India introduced 'Fans of Skoda' movement, which provided platform for fans and customers of the brand to meet, engage and interact with each other with the leadership team of Skoda Auto India. According to Skoda Auto India, Fans of Skoda have already seen more than 270 Skoda owners in 9 cities.

It is also worth mentioning that the MQB-A0 IN platform cars are 95% localised in India. Moreover, these Made-in-India cars are already being exported to left-hand drive countries in the Gulf. Also, these Made-in-India cars will be assembled in Vietnam from 2024 onwards with parts and components exported from Skoda Auto India's facility in Chakan.

Thoughts About Skoda Auto India's Success

Under the India 2.0 business strategy, Skoda Auto India has been able to gather more than decent momentum in the Indian automobile market. Also, with the Made-in-India cars getting exported to Gulf countries and Vietnam (2024 onwards), India has turned into an international hub for Skoda Auto.