AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)03/18 Report--

According to the insurance figures, SAIC Skoda sold a total of 3662 vehicles from January to February 2023, down 66.28% from the same period last year, including 1729 in February. Skoda has plummeted in the Chinese market in the past 2022, with annual sales of only 44600 vehicles, down 37.4% from a year earlier, second only to Russia.

Skoda is the third-largest brand in the Volkswagen Group, but none of Skoda's eight models sold in China are in the doldrums. In terms of specific models, Xin Rui is Skoda's best-selling product, with a cumulative sales of 470 in February 2023, compared with 320 and 199 for Mingrui and Klock respectively. In addition, there are 161 Kodiak, 136 Komick and Mingrui, and 69 express dispatch.

According to the website of Automotive Industry concern, Skoda currently has less than 100 dealers in China, and the province with the largest number of dealers is Shanghai, which has 8, while other provinces basically maintain about 2-3.

Where does Skoda go? The foreign party seems to have the intention of delisting. At the end of 2022, Skoda general manager Klaus Zelmer (Klaus Zellmer) said in an interview with Automobilwoche: the current competition in China is too fierce, we will work with Chinese joint venture partners to consider how we will proceed. If we want to focus, it's worth looking at all the scenes and then making a decision. In addition, Klaus Zelmer points out that consideration could be given to selling cars only in China, rather than producing them.

In response to the news, Skoda China said that as part of the company's normal commercial operation, Skoda will continue to evaluate its position in the international auto market and adjust its strategy to adapt to the development of the local auto market. This naturally includes the Chinese market.

In April 2005, Skoda reached a cooperation with Shanghai Volkswagen, Skoda officially entered the Chinese market and opened the road for Skoda to be made in China. In September 2006, the brand KODA was officially launched, announcing its Chinese name "Skoda" and becoming the second brand under SAIC-Volkswagen.

Since Skoda entered China, it has been endorsed by "German quality". The label "Shanghai Volkswagen Skoda" has become a symbol of Skoda's status in the Chinese market, even though it is a Czech car brand acquired by Volkswagen Group. After entering 2010, Skoda accelerated the product layout, successively launched the A-class entry model Rapid Xin Rui, the first SUV Yedi, the travel car Rapid Spaceback Xin, and carried out the imported car business.

In July 2016, the tail mark of Skoda domestic model changed from "SAIC Volkswagen" to "SAIC Skoda", in order to strengthen the uniqueness of Skoda brand. Skoda has indeed achieved certain results after its independence. Skoda sold more than 300000 vehicles in the Chinese market for three consecutive years from 2016 to 2018, which were 330000, 333000 and 341000 respectively. At this point, Skoda's glory in China has also reached its peak. But like many joint venture brands, SAIC Skoda sales plummeted rapidly, to 282000, 173000, 71200 and 44600, respectively, from 2019 to 2022. Although Skoda has made various attempts to change the decline in sales during this period, such as promoting more localization of models and lower prices, all to no avail.

Within SAIC-Volkswagen, the positioning of SAIC Skoda is slightly lower than that of SAIC-Volkswagen, but the two remain on the same platform, and the product functions are not much different. With the complication of market competition, the price of Volkswagen brand goes down and the price of independent brand goes up, the living space left to Skoda under the double attack is becoming more and more narrow. As for Skoda IPO will be delisted, there is no final conclusion, but today's Skoda for SAIC Volkswagen, like a hot potato, broken arm survival is not impossible.

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