Gasgoo.com (Shanghai November 20) - Skoda has sold a total of 795,000 automobiles globally from January to October, China Business News reported today, citing a statement made by Werner Eichhorn, board member for sales and marketing. Mr. Eichhorn made the comments at a recent press conference in Shanghai. The sales figure represents year-on-year growth of seven percent for the Czech manufacturer. Mr. Eichhorn also answered several questions regarding the manufacturer's business in China.
In response to Skoda's plans for its import business model for the Chinese market, Mr. Eichhorn (pictured) stated that there were two possibilities: Either it would continue to sell its vehicles via partner Shanghai VW's 4S dealerships, or it would establish Skoda dealerships to conduct sales within the VW sales structure.
A recent topic of media attention has been who will replace the role of Skoda China President previously assumed by Gerrit Marx. While Mr. Eichhorn was unwilling to make any specific comments, he did state that a new president will be announced shortly. Jochen Heizmann, head of VW China, has currently been managing Skoda's operations in the country.
There has been a great deal of concern regarding Skoda's future in China. Although it is supported by the successful VW brand, Skoda's performance in the country has yet to replicate the same successes made by the German brand. Furthermore, as VW takes care of Skoda's operations in the country, Skoda's managers have only a limited amount of say in what decisions are made. Mr. Eichhorn's comments seem to have been made to alleviate these concerns and restore confidence in the brand.
