Skoda Celebrates 130 Years with Aim to Achieve 4% Market Share in Spain

Skoda is in a celebratory mood. The brand has showcased its major milestones at the residence of the Czech Republic's ambassador, Libor Secka, since its founding in 1895, when Václav Laurin and Václav Klement decided to establish a bicycle company in Mladá Boleslav (Bohemia).

Today, this location serves as the headquarters and the largest factory of the brand, which joined the Volkswagen Group in the 1980s. In the country, Skoda is the leading manufacturer, accounting for around 5% of the nation's GDP, making it the third-largest car manufacturer in the EU, after Germany and Spain.

After reflecting on its history, Skoda remains focused on the future, emphasizing key models to achieve its goal of becoming a dominant mainstream brand in Europe.

These include SUVs, first introduced in 2017 with the Kodiaq, which now represent more than two-thirds of the brand's sales, and electric vehicles. In fact, the Epiq, an urban compact, will be included in this segment and will be manufactured at the Landaben plant in Navarra, owned by the German consortium.

Due to its features and expected price – around 25,000 euros – it is anticipated to be a major success in their electrification strategy, which began in 2020 with the Enyaq.

Within the Volkswagen Group, Skoda is the most profitable mainstream brand, and despite negative results last year – the consortium's profits fell by more than 30% – the Czech brand recorded a year of historic sales, with a turnover of 27.8 billion euros (+4.7%), over a million units produced (+2%), and an operating profit of 2.305 billion (+30%).

The brand's indicators in the first quarter suggest it is on track for another stellar year. Sales have increased by 8.2%, reaching 238,000 units; turnover by 10.4% (7.26 billion), and the operating margin stood at 7.5%.

In Spain, the market share until April – the brand had not yet accounted for May's data – stood at 3.6%. The goal, according to Skoda's director for Spain, Fidel Jiménez de Parga, is to reach 4%, moving closer to the 5% target to become one of the top 10 best-selling brands in the Spanish market.