BMW Brilliance's PR Director becomes Skoda China's Vice President

Shanghai September 2 (Gasgoo.com) Ms. Ma Jinghua, former senior manager of Public Affairs Department of BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd., has recently been appointed as Vice President of Skoda China, Economic Information Times reported Thursday.

Having years of working experience at Volkswagen China, Ms. Ma Jinghua joined Brilliance China in 2004, mainly responsible for the company's social welfare activities, as well as promoting products and corporate image.

Shanghai Volkswagen introduced the Skoda brand to the Chinese market in 2005 and delivered 1,196 vehicles in the year.

In the middle of 2007, Skoda launched its first locally built model, the Octavia Mingrui in China and sold 27,112 units in just half a year.

Skoda's 2009 full-year sales jumped 108%, twice the growth rate of the country's overall passenger vehicle market. Skoda China was founded the same year.

In Jan-June 2010, Skoda China's sales reached 83,234 units, up 80% year on year, far ahead of the industry average of 48%, according to sources.

Skoda currently makes three models at the Sino-German joint venture - the compact Octavia Mingrui, the subcompact Fabia Jingrui and the mid-sized Superb Haorui, and will bring the Yeti to China next year.

The three have performed well as segment leaders and contributed to Skoda's rapid growth, but such a product line-up is still not enough if the company expects to further improve its brand image and increase its market share in China, which is also the primary task of Ms. Ma.