Škoda raises sales almost 18 percent

Czech carmaker Škoda Auto sold 366,686 vehicles in the first half of 2008, a year-on-year growth of 17.9 percent, spokesman Jaroslav Černý said. Sales grew the fastest in Eastern Europe, where Škoda sold 63,684 cars, up by 40.1 percent on the year. Škoda has not yet disclosed its economic results for the first half. “We will do so at the end of the month,” Černý said. In the first half of 2007, Škoda made a Kč 7.9 billion (€342.6 billion) net profit. Sales in Russia rose by 83.7 percent year-on-year to 23,950 units, making up the biggest part of the sales in Eastern Europe. Sales in Ukraine added 51.2 percent to 15,964 cars. Sales in Western Europe grew by 2.1 percent to 177,101 units. Škoda now has a 2.27 percent share of the Western European car market, Černý said. Sales in Germany reached 64,589 units in the first half of... [read full story]