Skoda and Volkswagen have officially confirmed that the Czech automaker will build a new model at its plant in Kvasiny, but didn’t offer details about the vehicle.
However, according to various recent reports, the new model is said to be an SUV that will be positioned above the Yeti in Skoda’s range and which will spawn a Seat version too. Both the Skoda SUV, rumored to be called Snowman and its Seat sibling, will be produced in the Czech Republic.
“The decision to produce a new vehicle at Kvasiny will strengthen the location. This will ensure the long-term prosperity of Kvasiny, as well as Mladá Boleslav and Vrchlabí,” said Skoda CEO Winfried Vahland.
The announcement was made during a visit to VW’s headquarters in Wolfsburg of a Czech delegation led by the country’s prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka, on the occasion of the 23rd anniversary of Skoda’s acquisition by the VW Group.
“Skoda Auto is one of the gems of Czech industry with a significant impact on our overall economy. This is why I am very pleased that another model is going to be produced in the Czech Republic, which will result in the creation of new jobs and investments,” said the prime minister.
Since VW bought Skoda, the Czech automaker saw its sales increase five-fold, from under 200,000 to more than 900,000 vehicles a year. Skoda offered a single model line 23 years ago, compared to seven today, and focused on Eastern Europe, while now it sell cars in more than 100 markets worldwide.
By Dan Mihalascu
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