Skoda closes 2017 with 30 per cent growth, aims double-digit expansion in 2018
, ET Bureau|
Jan 03, 2018, 03.45 PM IST
MUMBAI: Skoda Auto posted a more than 30% increase in India sales in 2017, as strong demand for the Rapid and other models helped the Czech automaker see its volume in this market growing for the first time in five years.
The Volkswagen Group-owned company is aiming to sustain the momentum in 2018 as well, and is eyeing double-digit growth and volume of 19,000-20,000 units. In 2017, it sold about 17,000 vehicles in India.
It is banking on the Kodiaq and the Karoq, another SUV that will be launched towards the end of 2018, to drive sales before a new car aimed at the volume segment hits the market post 2020. Apart from sustaining strong momentum in sedans, the company expects SUVs to account for a fourth of its total sales in the coming years.
"We had a strong showing across models, all of them have registered double-digit growth. The numbers could have been higher if not for allocation challenges," said Ashutosh Dixit, Skoda Auto India's director for sales, service and marketing. "We expect the strong momentum for the brand to continue in 2018 and we should grow by double digits again."
In the past year, it witnessed growth across models. Led by the new face lift, sales of the Rapid grew 30% to about 12,000 units, while the Octavia and Superb posted 12% and 30% growth, respectively. The Kodiaq SUV, which was launched towards the end of the year, added another 750 units to total sales.
Skoda came out with some attractive finance and maintenance package in the past year as part of its efforts to shed the image of its vehicles as expensive to own and maintain. It also revamped its network with new customer interface. It spent about Rs 100 crore over the last few years to restructure the entire sales and marketing infrastructure.
Skoda plans to retain its premium appeal. Even when it gets into the volumes end of the market, the company is likely to position its cars at a slight premium over those from Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motor. It is also working overtime to increase localisation of vehicles in India to reduce cost and is gradually expanding the sales and marketing network.
The Volkswagen Group-owned company is aiming to sustain the momentum in 2018 as well, and is eyeing double-digit growth and volume of 19,000-20,000 units. In 2017, it sold about 17,000 vehicles in India.
It is banking on the Kodiaq and the Karoq, another SUV that will be launched towards the end of 2018, to drive sales before a new car aimed at the volume segment hits the market post 2020. Apart from sustaining strong momentum in sedans, the company expects SUVs to account for a fourth of its total sales in the coming years.
"We had a strong showing across models, all of them have registered double-digit growth. The numbers could have been higher if not for allocation challenges," said Ashutosh Dixit, Skoda Auto India's director for sales, service and marketing. "We expect the strong momentum for the brand to continue in 2018 and we should grow by double digits again."
In the past year, it witnessed growth across models. Led by the new face lift, sales of the Rapid grew 30% to about 12,000 units, while the Octavia and Superb posted 12% and 30% growth, respectively. The Kodiaq SUV, which was launched towards the end of the year, added another 750 units to total sales.
Skoda came out with some attractive finance and maintenance package in the past year as part of its efforts to shed the image of its vehicles as expensive to own and maintain. It also revamped its network with new customer interface. It spent about Rs 100 crore over the last few years to restructure the entire sales and marketing infrastructure.
Skoda plans to retain its premium appeal. Even when it gets into the volumes end of the market, the company is likely to position its cars at a slight premium over those from Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motor. It is also working overtime to increase localisation of vehicles in India to reduce cost and is gradually expanding the sales and marketing network.
