Home » Business » The VW Group steals the Czech Republic’s most profitable flagship, says the head of trade unions about the relocation of Superbu

The VW Group steals the Czech Republic’s most profitable flagship, says the head of trade unions about the relocation of Superbu

Škoda Auto trade union leader Jaroslav Povšík confirmed that production of the new generation of the Superb model will move to the Volkswagen plant in Bratislava. According to him, the Volkswagen Group stole the most profitable flagship from the Czech Republic, Povšík said. The carmaker called the information about the relocation of production published by Hospodářské noviny speculation and refused to comment on the matter.

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 should be in the Czech Republic, they wrote HN.

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.

“I always keep core employees,” Povšík said. According to him, the production of some models, which are now produced in Mladá Boleslav, could partially move to Kvasiny. The main Boleslav plant could then increase capacity for the production of a new electric SUV Enyaq IV, which, according to Povšík, cannot be produced elsewhere.

According to him, the board of directors of Škoda Auto fought little to maintain the production of the Superb, and in his opinion also fears about the function. The company was not supported by the government either, said Povšík. The decision could also have been influenced by the coronavirus pandemic; for example, the union leader could not call mass protests due to government measures.

“The Germans are afraid of them,” he said. Under normal circumstances, for example, employees could surround a factory in protest.

According to Povšík, neither the new generation of Satt Atec will be produced in the Czech Republic, nor has anyone been officially confirmed this information yet. On the contrary, there are indications that Kvasiny will retain the Kodiaq SUV, the transfer of which is also speculated.

One of the reasons for the relocation of Superb production to Bratislava, which is speculated on, is allegedly lower production costs. According to Povšík, however, the costs may not be lower, for example, logistics may become more expensive.

Povšík has long criticized the relocation of Superb production. He compared the behavior of the current management of the concern to the CMEA in the former Eastern bloc. According to him, the current leadership suppresses the autonomy of Škoda and decides on its direction.

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.

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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