Škoda Auto necessarily had to decide which model from the Czech Republic would move abroad. There are no capacities in the factories for the production of all existing Škoda cars, even with a view to future plans. Superb will be created in Slovakia and thanks to that Kodiaq will not move to Wolfsburg.
Production of the Škoda Kodiaq SUV will remain in the Czech Republic, and will continue to be produced in Kvasiny in the Rychnov region. Earlier, there was speculation about a possible relocation of its production to Germany. The Fabia in the combi version will also continue to be produced. A credible source told ČTK. At the same time, he confirmed that the production of the new generation of the Superb model will move to Bratislava, where it will be produced together with the Volkswagen Passat. The development of both cars will be in Mladá Boleslav.
However, according to a source in the Czech News Agency, the carmaker in the Czech Republic will free up capacity by moving production of Superb, so it will be possible to produce more other models. The company can use this, for example, to expand the production capacity of SUV models Kodiaq and Karoq, thus reducing waiting time for customers.
The relocation of the Superb also saved the production of the Fabia model in the combi version, it was speculated that only the hatchback would continue to be produced, as pointed out, for example, by the Škoda unions.
“The development of both cars (Superb and Passat) will be in Boleslav, so value-added work remains in the Czech Republic,” a source told ČTK. According to him, the company has long struggled with demand exceeding the possibility of production in the Czech Republic. Thanks to the relocation of the Superb, this will free up capacity for the production of Kodiaq SUVs, which are highly profitable for the company.
According to an earlier decision of the Volkswagen Group, the models of the Passat family, which also includes the Superb, were to be produced in Kvasiny. According to the source, however, it is more advantageous for the carmaker to produce only its own models, so thanks to the move, Škoda will not have to produce Passats sold by Volkswagen, but the production of the Kodiaq SUV will be more profitable. “I confirm that Kodiaq will remain in the Czech Republic. And at the same time there will be a Fabia combi, we will get a model that should no longer be,” said a credible source.
The new Superb should start production in 2022. The relocation of its production to Bratislava is criticized by the unions. “The Volkswagen Group stole the most profitable flagship from the Czech Republic,” union leader Jaroslav Povšík told ČTK. According to him, the board of directors of Škoda Auto fought little to maintain the production of the Superb, and in his opinion also fears about the function. The company was not supported by the government either, said Povšík.
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