ŠKODA’s one millionth sports utility vehicle (SUV) has rolled off the production line. The milestone vehicle is a ŠKODA Karoq with a metallic Emerald Green finish. The Czech manufacturer’s success story in the SUV segment began in 2009 with the launch of the ŠKODA Yeti. Today, the Kodiaq and Karoq SUV model lines are two of the most important drivers of growth for the company, and the SUV campaign is an integral part of the 2025 Strategy. Of the one million SUVs produced by ŠKODA to date, more than 100,000 have found homes with UK customers.
Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Production and Logistics, commented, “It is a great achievement to have produced one million SUVs. We are currently taking the necessary measures to continue meeting the growing demand for vehicles in this segment in the future. For example, we are expanding our Kvasiny plant into a centre of excellence for SUV production. In addition, since the beginning of the year the ŠKODA Karoq has been the brand’s only vehicle to be produced at two of our Czech sites”.
The foundation for the success of ŠKODA’s SUV portfolio started with the launch of the ŠKODA Yeti in 2009. By the end of its production in 2017, more than 680,000 units of this model had been delivered to customers. At the start of the current SUV campaign, ŠKODA presented the ŠKODA Kodiaq in spring 2017, followed by the ŠKODA Karoq in October of the same year. Since the beginning of 2018, the brand’s SUV portfolio has expanded to include the ŠKODA Kamiq, which the Czech manufacturer offers exclusively for the Chinese market.
The attractive all-rounders have played a significant role in ŠKODA’s continuous growth. By the middle of July, 215,700 ŠKODA Kodiaqs and 87,800 units of the ŠKODA Karoq compact SUV had been produced. In addition to the Czech Republic, ŠKODA also manufactures its SUV models in India, Russia, China and Germany.
The brand’s campaign in the SUV segment is one of the cornerstones of ŠKODA’s Strategy 2025. With this plan, the Czech car manufacturer has defined the guidelines for converting the profound change in the automotive industry – particularly electric mobility, autonomous driving and connectivity – into continued growth. Other central areas of focus include the digitalisation of products and processes, the conquering of new markets as well as the addition of a variety of mobile services to the traditional car production business.
One million ŠKODA SUVs in figures
(Deliveries to customers from 2009 to the middle of July 2018):
ŠKODA YETI: 684,500
ŠKODA KODIAQ: 215,700
ŠKODA KAROQ: 87,800
ŠKODA KAMIQ: 12,000
