Skoda Auto India eyes 50 pc sales growth in 2012

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Premium car maker Skoda Auto India on Tuesday said it is expecting to maintain 50 per cent growth in car sales in 2012, with its 'Rapid' variant to remain the main growth driver.

"We are aiming to maintain 50 per cent of growth in terms of sales in 2012 as we had achieved in 2011," company's Head Marketing Kamal Basu said here on Tuesday.

Skoda India registered total sales of 30,000 units in 2011, posting a growth of 50 per cent over sales in previous year.

Skoda, part of German Volkswagen Group, has posted a growth of 37 per cent at 14,800 units during January till April this year over the year-ago period. Buyoed by the good response to its Rapid car, Skoda feels that about 50-55 per cent of total sales volume would be contributed by Rapid variant.

"Currently, Rapid is contributing 40-45 to our total sales and we expect its share will reach 50-55 per cent this year," he said.

Skoda India rolled out Rapid version in November last year and it is priced at Rs 6.70 lakh to Rs 10 lakh in petrol and diesel. Skoda Auto India has five models -- Superb, Laura, Fabia, Yeti and Rapid.

The company today introduced a new version in the Superb model line, the 'Superb Ambition' version, at a price of Rs 18.09 lakh (ex showroom) Chandigarh.

"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," Basu said.

The Ambition variant will be powered by the award winning 1.8 TSI engine with a 6-speed manual transmission and 2.0 TDI CR with 6 speed Automatic DSG transmission. Skoda Auto India has a network of 104 outlets across the country and has sold over 1,46,269 units since December, 2001.