ŠkodaPortal.cz Simply clever

Prague, February 12th, 2011 – "The New Power of Škoda" – this was the motto of the Škoda World Dealer Conference 2011 that took place in Prague on February 10th & 11th, 2011. The purpose of Škoda's largest dealer event within the past 20 years lay in the presentation of the company's new growth strategy. About 5,000 Škoda partners from more than 100 countries received first hand information about the most important milestones of the reorientation. The primary goal of the company lies in at least doubling its sales until the year 2018. To this end, Škoda will introduce new products in the coming years and grow strongly in Europe and in the growth markets of China, India, and Russia in particular. The remake of the brand is underlined by a new corporate design, which was presented for the first time to the dealers and importers traveled in Prague. The public world premiere of the new, noticeably fresher appearance of the brand will take place at the Geneva Motor Show at the beginning of March 2011.

"Today, we will jointly begin a new era in the history of Škoda. In the coming years, we will put the pedal to the metal in all areas. We will do that in close cooperation with our trading partners throughout the world. A strong trading organization is essential and constitutes an important backbone of Škoda's success worldwide. Now we want to set out for new horizons and at least double our sales until the year 2018. And you as our business partners will play an important role in that effort," said Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland, the chairman of the board of Škoda Auto, in his address to the participants of the convention.

Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland made it clear that the growth strategy is supported with concrete measures: "The most important investments have either been made or been planned upon. We are working very hard on new models that will expand and deepen our product range. The Škoda boss also emphasized the support of the Volkswagen Group: "In the past 20 years since the entry of the Volkswagen Group, we have jointly written one of the most successful stories in the history of the automobile. The association with the currently most successful multi-brand automotive group in the world will provide us with the necessary backing in the coming years as well." Furthermore, the negative effects of the economic and financial crisis in the years 2008 and 2009 have been mostly overcome. Škoda had demonstrated strength and is clearly among the winners.

Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland pointed out the strength of the company and the brand: "Škoda ist one of the longest established automobile manufacturers and has shown impressive performance in the past 20 years. It has been nothing less than the successful resurgence of a legendary automobile brand from the heart of Europe – Czech Republic. We are proud of that. This success would not have been possible without the abilities, experience, and the commitment of our 26,000 employees worldwide in all areas of the company. They have made Škoda what it is today: a successful company with a global presence." In doing so, the Škoda brand stands for cars with an attractive price/value ratio for our customers: "Our cars are and will remain 'simply clever'. They are 'cleverly engineered with a human touch'. We will continue this course with consistency and build attractive, authentic vehicles with a special price-value for money, clever ideas, precise workmanship and high benefit to customers throughout functionality and roominess. That is the standard for the expansion of our model range."

Škoda also gave the dealers in Prague a detailed presentation of the new corporate design of the brand. With a new visual appearance, which will be presented for the first time at the International Motor Show in Geneva at the beginning of March and then be used in all means of communication, the company also expresses the new strength and strategic direction in a visual way. Jürgen Stackmann, the board member for sales and marketing, explained the individual elements: "New Power of Škoda – that applies to our new corporate design as well. From the advanced logo to new text fonts to the design of Škoda dealerships: the Škoda brand is powerful, fresh, younger, and it has a dynamic style. But this does not just apply to the reorientation in terms of the visual appearance and branding: Škoda has never been in a better position than today. First-class products, loyal and efficient employees, a strong parent company and – last but not least – a dealer network that is very well positioned globally are the factors guaranteeing our success in the future."

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORLD DEALER CONFERENCE 2011:

Škoda partners from more than 100 countries had traveled to Prague. Among the attendees were guests who had made the trip from far away countries such as China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Chile, India, and the United Arab Emirates.
The event took six months to prepare. A team of 2,500 persons was involved in the planning and execution of the event.
It was not just the structure of the participants, but also the meals served that underlined the international character of the event as the diverse cultural composition of the attendees had to be taken into consideration. For example, the catering available during the entire convention offered seven different cuisines (Czech, German, Chinese, Indian, Russian, Mediterranean, and Arabic); every region offered a six-course meal that included vegetarian food and desserts.

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