Despite the Irish new car market down by 10pc compared to 2016, Skoda has increased new car turnover by 1pc to €146 million in 2017, and increased turnover from parts and accessories by 8pc to €9.6 million, writes Trish Whelan.
Skoda Ireland says more customers are availing of their finance offers with the brand loaning over €112 million to customers over the past twelve months, an increase of 5pc on 2016.
Skoda Ireland have also recorded market share of 6.9pc which is the highest ever share recorded by the brand in Ireland and saw them deliver 9,056 new cars to customers this year. Skoda is the sixth bestselling car brand in the country for the third year in a row and aims to finish in the top five in 2018.
The five new models introduced in the past year include the new Kodiaq and Karoq SUVs, a refresh to their compact Citigo and Rapid models, and a newly designed top-selling Octavia.
John Donegan, Brand Director at Skoda Ireland said “There’s no doubt that the new car market has been impacted by the level of imports in 2017. Brexit and sterling values pose big threats to the industry but Skoda has remained strong based on our extensive range, strong dealer network and competitive offers. We are even more optimistic for 2018 based on our impressive order bank to date and also due to the increased supply of our new Karoq SUV which launched earlier this month.”
Just over 53pc of the cars sold by Skoda here were financed by Skoda Finance.
