Škoda Auto’s trade union leader Jaroslav Povšík confirmed to ČTK today that production of the new generation of the Superb model will move to the Volkswagen plant in Bratislava.
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According to him, the Volkswagen Group stole the most profitable flagship from the Czech Republic, Povšík said today. The new Superb should start production in 2022, along with the Superb, a Volkswagen Passat will be produced in Bratislava. The technological development of both models is to be in the Czech Republic. Škoda Auto today declined to comment on the information about the relocation of production.
Povšík is not worried about employment in Kvasiny, where Superb is now produced. According to him, the free capacity can be used to expand the production of other models, such as the Kodiaq SUV.
When asked by ČTK, Škoda Auto called the information speculation and will not comment on it, company spokeswoman Martina Gillichová told ČTK. Speculations about the relocation of Superb production have been around for a long time, and no one has confirmed them yet.
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“We do not comment on speculation about the future production program,” Gillichová told ČTK. The production of the new generation of Superb is to be moved to Bratislava, which will probably reach the market in 2022. The development of Superb is to continue in the Czech Republic. Along with the Superb, the Volkswagen Passat is to be moved to Bratislava, and its development is also to be moved to the Czech Republic.
The relocation of Superb production has been speculated for a long time. The unions, led by foreman Jaroslav Povšík, criticize him. Povšík described the transfer of the models as a campaign against Škoda, in addition to the Superb, the Czechia should also lose the production of the Škoda Kodiaq or Seatu Ateca, according to him.
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The Automobilwoche magazine also provided information on the relocation of Superb production from the Czech Republic to Slovakia. “We have decided to increase the capacity of the local plant,” VW Herbert Diesse told Automobilwoche.
One of the reasons for moving Superb to Bratislava may be lower production costs, according to Diess, production costs in Slovakia are comparable to Turkey, where the group originally planned to build a new factory. Production in Slovakia should be cheaper than in the Czech Republic or Germany.
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In July, Volkswagen announced that it had halted plans to build a new factory in Turkey. The decision is said to be a drop in demand due to the coronavirus crisis. Volkswagen postponed plans to build a factory in Turkey last year due to international criticism of Turkish military operations in Syria.
The relocation of the Superb was significantly speculated as early as 2018. Volkswagen then announced that this model of the Škoda would remain, and in addition, models of the Passat family were to be produced in the Czech Republic by 2023.
In Mladá Boleslav, Škoda Auto produces the Fabia, Fabia station wagon, Scala, Kamiq, Octavia, Enyaq and partly Karoq models. The Škoda Superb and Kodiaq are manufactured in Kvasiny in the Rychnov region, where another part of the Karoq SUV is also produced.
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Last year, Škoda Auto delivered 1.24 million cars worldwide. It operates three production plants in the Czech Republic, produces in China, Russia, Slovakia and India, mostly through group partnerships, as well as in Ukraine and Kazakhstan in cooperation with local partners. It is active in more than 100 markets. It employs almost 39,000 people, of which almost 34,000 in the Czech Republic.
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