The crisis in the automobile industry prompted Škoda Auto in Mladá Boleslav to introduce its first terrain vehicle sooner than initially planned. Škoda Yeti will be launched in a Geneva car showroom at the beginning of march. The price will be announced at that time as well.
Originally, the company wanted to introduce this model in September at a car show in Frankfurt, but falling sales have prompted Škoda to speed up the launch. Škoda expects that the new car will attract customers. “People also pay attention to the older models of a brand and this then leads to an increase in sales. What’s more, the new model can also be seen as sign that Škoda is strong and healthy at time of slower economy,! Said Antonín Šípek, director of the Automotive Industry Association. Yeti should be available in the Czech Republic this summer.
The Hyundai plant in Nošovice is also speeding up the launch of its new models. In March, that is, two months earlier than planned, it will start producing the model Hyundai i30 in a combi version. For now, it is being shipped to Europe from South Korea. The Nošovice plant will also start producing its new MPV car Kia this summer, although it was originally supposed to be launched at the end of the year.
Recent statistics illustrate the depth of the crisis. The sale of new cars in Europe in January fell by 27%.
Škoda Auto initially counted on an annual production of 55,000 Yeti cars. Now it isn’t publicising its estimate.
“The Yeti model will be based on studies that we have been conducting at international car shows since 2005. The model always generated a lot of attention, and we expect that this will be reflected in the demand,” said Škoda spokesman Evžen Karuskopf.
SUV sales around the world are falling. People are switching from vehicles with a high consumption to ones that are more efficient and less expensing. “Interest in terrain vehicles is falling slightly. But smaller cars that combine efficiency and good design are still in demand,” Said Šípek.
Yeti will be in the Kvasiny plant. At the end of February and at the beginning of April, the plant will halt the production of models Roomster and Superb for about five days, so that the production line could be adopted for the new SUV Yeti. The first cars should be on the market in the summer.
The new model Yeti comes from a design study introduced a while back and bearing the same name.
“At the car show in Geneva we will already show Yeti as it will enter serial production. At the time we have a test series and the cars are going through the final test,” said Krauskopf.
The Geneva show will also see the world premiere of the Octavia GreenLine, another addition to the family of cars with an ecological focus. The care is environmentally friendly and has a consumption of 4.4 litres of petrol for 100 km and carbon dioxide emissions of only 116 grammes per com, which is significantly lower than the future emission limit of 130 grammes.
Another car displayed in Geneva will be the sports special S2000, which was successfully introduced at the Monte-Carlo Rally
Also of interest might be the introduction of the so-called EMO concepts, design studies for Škoda cars aimed at emotionally expressing the brand.
Škoda’s second new release this year will be the combi version of the limousine Superb, which the company wants to bring on the market in autumn.
