ŠKODA

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

2013 was a transition year for the ŠKODA brand as it vigorously continued its model initiative. The third generation of the Octavia, available as a saloon and an estate, met with an extremely positive reception from trade press and the public. The new edition of the brand’s bestselling model offers many clever little details. The Octavia RS, the sporty version, rounds off the family. At mid-year, the revamped Superb – the brand’s flagship model – arrived in saloon and estate model versions at dealerships. The Rapid saloon unveiled to the European market in the previous year was joined by the sporty Rapid Spaceback, ŠKODA’s first hatchback in the compact class; both its rear seating and boot space offer superior spaciousness. The compact Yeti SUV model was revamped and is now available in two editions – the Outdoor and the City. In China, the launch of the Rapid notchback saloon represented an important addition to the model portfolio in the reporting period.

The ŠKODA brand delivered 921 thousand vehicles worldwide, down 2.0% year-on-year. The switch to new models, in particular for the Octavia, and the strained situation in many markets depressed sales in the first half of 2013 in particular. By contrast, the brand increased sales in the second half of the year, ending the year with the best December in the company’s history.

At 719 thousand vehicles, unit sales for the ŠKODA brand were down 1.1% year-on-year. Demand was high for the Rapid and Citigo models, which were not affected by the model start-ups. The difference between figures for deliveries and unit sales is mainly due to the fact that the vehicle-producing joint ventures in China are not counted as ŠKODA brand companies.

In 2013, the ŠKODA brand produced 932 thousand units worldwide, only slightly lower than in the previous year (943 thousand units). The main Mladá Boleslav production facility was comprehensively expanded and modernized for the production of the Rapid and Octavia model series.

SALES REVENUE AND EARNINGS

The ŠKODA brand’s sales revenue amounted to €10.3 billion in 2013, down 1.1% on the previous year. Negative volume-related and mix effects and exchange rate factors were the reason for the decline in operating profit from €712 million to €522 million. The operating return on sales was 5.1%, compared with 6.8% in the previous year.

DELIVERIES BY MARKET
in percent