Car industry
VW subsidiary Skoda increases profit by almost a third
Unlike the group mother in Wolfsburg, the carmaker Skoda is in a good mood. But you don’t want to rest on what was achieved. What plans are Skoda boss Klaus Zellmer?
The Czech carmaker Skoda was able to increase its profit by almost a third last year and thus consolidated its position as a supply brand of the VW Group in the mass segment. The operating profit was 2.3 billion euros in 2024, an increase of 30 percent compared to the previous year. That is a solid result in a challenging environment, said Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer at a meeting with journalists in Prague.
In contrast, the net profit had broken down by almost 31 percent in the same period. “We live in different economies,” explained Zellmer. He referred to lower wage and energy costs in the Czech Republic. He sees the main factor for success in the wide product portfolio at Skoda. It includes everything from small to large cars, from the diesel vehicle to the plug-in hybrid to the electric car.
Small cars continue with combustion engines
Volkswagen recently presented its future electric car ID.EVERY1 for 20,000 euros. Zellmer confirmed that Skoda is not planning its own variant of the new entry model. The brands should “not stand each other on their feet”. Instead, it was decided to extend the life cycle of combustion models Fabia, Scala and Kamiq until the end of this decade. At the Skoda tribe in Mlada Boleslav, it is checked how the model series could be supplemented by hybrid technology.
Planned seven -seater wants to set a statement
At the completely different end of the size of the size, the planned electrician, which is due to be launched in the second half of 2026. When asked who needed such a car, Zellmer emphasized that goals on a niche that used to occupy models such as the VW Sharan or Ford Galaxy. Pleasant side effect: The exactly seven-member Skoda board could drive together.
Retite should continue to increase
Sales rose 4.7 percent at Skoda in 2024 to just under 27.8 billion euros. The return on sales was 8.3 percent. “Our strategic goal is ten percent until the end of the decade,” revealed Zellmer. At the moment, he ruled out a shift in the production of individual VW models to the Czech Republic, where the work and energy costs are cheaper: “Our factories are fully utilized.” The 57-year-old can imagine that Skoda will take on more tasks for the entire group in the area of research and development in the future-right down to the design of a technology platform.
dpa
Source: Stern
