The third generation Octavia has turned out to be the best selling car for Skoda with the company manufacturing half a million units in just two years.
Bringing out the third generation Octavia on the MQB platform is probably the best decision Skoda ever made. The Czech automaker celebrated production of its 5,00,000th third generation Octavia in Mladá Boleslav on 15th December this year. The vehicle played as a catalyst in boosting the company’s success in the European market although sales of the Skoda Octavia haven’t really been impressive in India, where in spite of it being class-leading, it hasn’t sold well due to high pricing and poor after sales service.
The third generation Skoda Octavia took over from its predecessor (Laura in India) in late 2012 and since then has shown only a positive growth for the company. It is not only a great success in its home county Czech Republic but in the whole of Western Europe. The graph of sales of the car has been at a steep rise. Sales increased by 24.7 percent in the western part of Europe by November this year, building ground breaking records in a few countries. The trade percentage of the third generation Octavia increased by a whole 20 percent in Central Europe.
Spreading its arms from the Czech Republic, the company has established its production houses in India, Russia, Ukraine, China, Kazakhstan and many others. The ergonomic vehicle stepped in China in mid-2014 and since then the sales of the car have increased by 112.4 percent, making China the commercial capital of Skoda. Looking back at the glorious years of the Octavia, it was awarded as the best selling new vehicle in the first eleven months in Czech Republic, Estonia, Bosnia, Finland, Poland, Herzegovina, Slovakia, Croatia and Hungary. Overall from the benchmark of its production in 1996 till November 2014, a total of 4.46 million Octavias have been sold worldwide. This accounts to 40 percent of all Skoda sales over the period of time.
It is no surprise as to how this vehicle which is also available in 4-wheel drive has worked wonders for the company. The easy-to-drive vehicle comes with its classy European styling packed with a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine, producing 141 BHP and 320 Nm of torque. The petrol versions are powered by 1.4-litre and 1.8-litre engines that have power ratings of 138 BHP and 177 BHP respectively, 250 Nm of torque is available from both engines. With this splendid success of the Octavia, the brand stays optimistic and aims to sell a total of 1.5 million vehicles annually over the world.
