Czech car maker Skoda Auto India, a brand owned by Volkswagen Group, believes that it will be able to sustain the 50 per cent growth rate in 2012. It also declared that it expects the Rapid entry level sedan to propel sales during the period. Kamal Basu, Head, Marketing, Skoda Auto India, commented, "We are aiming to maintain 50 per cent of growth in terms of sales in 2012 as we had achieved in 2011."
In 2011, the company sold a total of 30,000 vehicles, thereby recording a 50 per cent on Year over Year (YoY) basis. Between January and April 2012, this manufacturer sold 14,800 cars in the country, a 37 per cent increase in sales over the corresponding period last year. Keeping in mind the positive consumer sentiment for the Rapid, the car maker believes that this model alone will account for 50 to 55 per cent of its total sales figures during this period. Basu stated, "Currently, Rapid is contributing 40-45 to our total sales and we expect its share will reach 50-55 per cent this year."
Skoda Auto India launched the petrol and diesel variants of the Rapid in India in November 2011 at a price of Rs. 6.70 lacs to Rs. 10 lacs. The other cars in its domestic portfolio include Superb premium sedan, Laura mid sized sedan, Fabia premium hatchback and Yeti premium Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).
It has recently brought forward a new variant of the Superb model, called 'Superb Ambition', with a price tag of Rs. 18.09 lacs (Ex-showroom Chandigarh). On the Superb Ambition variant, Basu said, "With the introduction of Superb Ambition we are now extending the model line with greater accessibility... Chandigarh is a very important market for Skoda and our cars have been well received by the customers here."
This new edition of the premium sedan will run on the award winning 1.8 TSI engine that is complemented by a 6 speed manual gearbox as well as the 2.0 TDI CR that is supplemented by a 6 speed Automatic DSG gearbox. Presently, the company has a total of 104 outlets in India and has rolled out as many as 1,46,269 vehicles in the nation since December 2001.
