Skoda Cars

Summary

Skoda Auto India Private Limited has been active in Indian market since year 2001-02. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Skoda Auto, the world famous Czech Republic auto brand. It is completely owned by Volkswagen Group and is currently the fastest growing auto brands in Europe. In India, Skoda is known for offering luxury cars. It entered the market with Octavia in year 2002. The car was very successful and it was admired by all across the nation. It was also one of the first Skoda car models to be locally manufactured in India. Features that made it so famous were its superb handling, aggressive pricing, and higher fuel efficiency. in India, it is headquartered at Aurangabad, Maharashtra. All its vehicles are designed at its design centre located in Mlada Boleslav.

Executive Management

Skoda India Private Limited is currently being led by Sudhir Rao while was appointed as its MD by Skoda Auto’s CEO Winfried Vahland. The man takes responsibility for all Skoda affairs in India. Another important person of interest in this respect is Mr. Vijay Deshpande, the Director HR of Skoda Auto India Private Limited. He leads the HR team for Skoda Auto and has a key role to play in building a high-performance firm.

Indian Operations

SAIPL owns a production plant in Shendra a small place close to Aurangabad. The assembly unit has a yearly capacity to produce 40, 000 cars in a year. The unit is also used by Audi for development of Audi A3, A6, A4, Q3, Q5, and Q7. Previously, it was used by Volkswagen for Jetta and Passat. Now VW product line has been merged with Skoda product lines. Skoda also uses VW’s facility located in Chakan for manufacturing of its best-selling sedan -the Rapid.

Product & Services

Skoda Auto India Private Limited (SAIPL) at present owns over 100 dealerships across major cities and semi-urban areas of India. Currently, the Czech maker has zero plans for expanding its dealership network and is only focusing on customer satisfaction.

Environmental Initiatives

Skoda Auto India Private Limited hasn’t launched any CNG, hybrid, or electric, cars in Indian market. However, it is working on different eco-friendly initiatives that include lower emission power mills.

 Founder and First Car

Skoda Auto began its journey with push bikes. Keen cyclists Vackav Klement (Bookseller) and Vaclav Laurin (Mechanic) in Czechoslovakia began designing and manufacturing cycles in 1895. Their first company was named as Slavia and their product did well. Later, the two decided to add motor to these bikes and they began making motorbikes in year 1899. The name of their venture was thus changed to Laurin & Klement Co and it traded more than 4000 motorbikes. In 1905 they replaced bikes with cars and their first car was - the Voiturette which was an instant success. They also forayed in production of armed forces vehicle segment. Later, their business expanded to buses, aero plane engines, agricultural machinery, and trucks. In 1925 they merged with Pizen Slkodovka Co and in 1990 the company was finally acquired by Volkswagen.

USP

Skoda cars in India mainly target motor enthusiasts who are mainly looking for premium products. Along with sophistication, Skoda products are also known for offering better performance, and drivability. Some fuel efficient Skoda cars like Fabia and Rapid received very good response from customers.

Resale Value

Skoda cars in India haven’t been able to fair well because of company’s poor sales services. Highly fuel efficient Skoda cars in India are admired by family oriented buyers who are looking for some premium car. Out of all its models, Rapid and Octavia have been known for enjoying decent resale value in used car market.

Competition

Skoda Auto India is presently struggling very hard to gain some fair market share in India. The firm is presently working over its after sales service and customer satisfaction. It is facing tough competition from Tata Motors, Volkswagen, and Fiat.