Vietnam becomes the 83rd country globally and the 25th Asian country where Skoda will be officially selling its cars. In cooperation with its local partner, Thanh Cong Motor Vietnam (TC Motor), the Czech manufacturer is set to offer its European line-up as early as 2023, and also the made-in-India Kushaq and Slavia are set to debut in the Vietnamese market in 2024. The production line is currently under construction and Skoda Auto expects to have a sales volume of 30,000 vehicles per year.
As Skoda’s local partner in the Vietnamese market, TC Motor, will take over the local production and distribution of the vehicles, the Kodiaq, Superb, Karoq, and Superb model series will successively be imported from Europe, starting in 2023. In the future, Skoda models will be rolling off the production line at the site in Quang Ninh province. The construction of the TC Motor-owned production line is already underway and should be completed in the first half of 2024. Assembly of the made-in-India Kushaq and Slavia model series from CKD format will also begin in 2024. The Kushaq will be available to order in the first half of 2024, and orders for the Slavia can be placed from the fourth quarter of 2024.
Commenting on the occasion ŠKODA AUTO CEO, Klaus Zellmer said: “For ŠKODA AUTO, entering the Vietnamese market is the next logical step in our internationalisation strategy. Our attractive model portfolio offers exactly the right products for our customers, and we will be able to play to our strengths in this highly dynamic market. In addition, the geographical proximity to India provides great synergy effects; as early as 2024, we will be exporting vehicle kits from our Indian plant in Pune to Vietnam, marking a major advancement of our INDIA 2.0 project. Ultimately, this will significantly strengthen our presence in Southeast Asia.” And also Managing Director of ŠKODA AUTO Volkswagen India Piyush Arora adds: “Exports remain a fundamental pillar of ŠKODA AUTO Volkswagen India’s growth plan. After the successful launch of the Volkswagen Taigun and Virtus in global markets, we recently rolled out the ŠKODA KUSHAQ to the AGCC markets. Now we are gearing up to introduce the ŠKODA KUSHAQ and SLAVIA in the Vietnamese market, which is an important milestone for the team in India. With its significant success in the local and overseas markets, our INDIA 2.0 project remains a key driver in the Group’s endeavour to ‘Engineer cars in India to be Driven by the World’.”