Interesting comment about Skoda in todays newspapers

[dArK5HaD0w]

I don’t know the nature of the relationship between Skoda CZ and Skoda AUS, but if it is within their scope I’d love to see the former swing the axe, and get some national management down here that thinks beyond selling franchises, and blowing most of the annual advertising budget over the same three weeks each year on TV ads that target only hard core cycling fans and insomniacs.

unfortunately the relationship is not between skoda aus and skoda cz (hq) - its between skoda aus & vw aus.
vw aus has the 'relationship' with skoda cz....with VwAG overseaing it all.

vw will do anything to protect their brand. they can't have skoda take their potential sales. as long as skoda aus is under the 'control' of vw, we're at their mercy.
vw will determine the pricing on skoda aus.
vw will determine the marketting on skoda aus.
vw will determine the skoda dealerships in aus.
vw will service skoda vehicles.

end of the day for me - i'd rather have a few hundred skodas roaming the streets than a million of them, like every other golf/mazda3/lancer/corolla/i30.......

[bluefrog]

I know beauty is totally subjective, but I believe most of you bought the Skoda is because you can see beyond it's styling. It might be the German engineering that attracted you, or the "simply clever" practicality that attracted you, or it might be value for money that attracted you, but I wonder how many of you bought the Skoda because of it's styling?

Not me that's for sure : )

There are quite a few main reasons why I bought the Octy, but exterior styling is not one of them. It's far from ugly, but it definitely is a fair few years out of date in the exterior design department. Interior is a totally different story however. And everything else more than makes up for it when price is taken into account.

[Inego]

Mind you, my Scout is much better looking than its only direct competitor, the Outback. But Subaru cornered the market in ugly sticks years ago.....

I remember how long VW itself was just trickling a few Golfs out here and there, having pretty much pulled out of Oz in the late-80s, and dropped the Mk1 Golf earlier than that. The Mk3 was a rebuilding phase (a tiny number of Mk2 GTis trickled through), but it was only around 2000 that the Mk4 started selling in decent numbers (having launched in late '98 ).

Not that I'm saying that Skoda hasn't shot itself in the foot/been muzzled by VW (apparently).

[BluChris]

Definitely didn't buy my Octavia for looks though I am OK with the appearance. Had an Astra Turbo before the Octavia which was good looking but impractical and wayward when you got stuck into it. The Octavia is the polar opposite - sober, stable, anonymous (it's not an RS). I bought it because it is the perfect size for my needs, super practical and has a Euro flavour.

I agree that VAG has done poorly with marketing the brand, though I'm unsure what Skoda is meant to be here. Lots of forum members have an RS or Superb with options, making their cars more of a prestige buy. I saw mine as a value proposition - Euro engineering with potentially good reliability at an affordable price. Prestige was not much of a consideration though I like the left field positioning of Skoda in general. Like others I am heartily sick of VAG positioning VW and Skoda to cannibalise rather than complement each other. No sooner does Skoda get some potential traction through a unique model offer or price advantage than VAG matches it with a VW product. Sheesh.

[PassatB6]

Mmm... no , Skodas aren't ugly. Different, a bit uncomfortable to the eye initially, but its surprising how much the look grows on you over time. Now I look at an Octavia and think it looks quite balanced. Skodas look LESS retro over time not MORE to me.

The most 'temporary' cute look you can get is the latest crop of Mazdas and Hyundais. They look OK now but in a short period of time they begin to look very outdated.


And what about BMW. Does anyone think that the X1 looks better than a Skoda?

[gldgti]

Mmm... no , Skodas aren't ugly. Different, a bit uncomfortable to the eye initially, but its surprising how much the look grows on you over time. Now I look at an Octavia and think it looks quite balanced. Skodas look LESS retro over time not MORE to me.

As is the VAG tradition... my families had VAG cars for 35 years, and its the same old story over and over - people who don't own them for long complain of plain styling when the new models come out, but 15-20 years later that model still looks modern and stylish.
In my opinion, this has been the case with the mk1 and mk3 golfs especially, both cars that have extremely subtle but clever body styling that allows them to "live" for a long time. The pre-facelift octavia I would also put in this category. When I bought mine, I didnt really think it was a looker, but the longer I've had it more more I realise its got the same clever styling that will keep it current for a long time... the facelift model too.... but those headlights are a bit too much like a lot of other modern cars I dislike for me to really like them.

as for tall bmw's.... yuk!

dont mind the 1 and 3 series sedans though

[bobski]

IMO Skoda probably have the right strategy for now. If they add 40% this year its not such a bad situation to be in. To me it seems to be a case of, they can sell almost everything they can get their hands on.

But we won't know for sure until the Fabia and Yeti are released into those large volume categories. I'd be expecting a doubling of volume once they land. If the growth is still below 50%, you could argue they have a problem. However, its only a problem if their business plan calls for massive growth, If the company is planning for slow and steady growth, then there is no problem...

I've always said I'd rather have less Skoda's on the road - maybe its a bit greedy. I'd like people to know how good they are, but I like a bit of individuality.

We get more and more people asking us how the VRS is. There is definite interest in Skodas, and the brand awareness is growing, which is big part of the battle.

[Inego]

Will be interesting to see whether they try to bring the citivo (or is it citigo?) here. I expect not, as they reallty need to consolidate in other segments, and the VW equivalent (will it be up! or Lupo in the end?) looks funkier and is being pitched at mid-teens on price anyway.

[NotYet]

The fact is, Skoda makes very sensible, practical and reliable, but unsexy cars. This may have killed sales.

VAG newbie - that's an interesting and thoughtful post. Still I'm not sure that it's the whole story, even if you accept that Skodas are not the most beautiful cars on the market. (Personally I really like the looks of the Yeti.) As others have pointed out bland looks don't necessarily kill sales - think Toyota (is there a more white bread car than the Corolla?), Mazda (the 3 is really ugly in my view), BMW. Conversely, style doesn't necessarily sell if the engineering and reliability are not there - think Alfa, Fiat, Citroen (anything French or Italian for that matter?).

In my view there is a clue in the article quoted by the OP. Why would Opel now feel able to sell as a stand alone brand? Because they have got an entree into Australia through GM with the previous Astras and Vectras. Opel will probably do well when they re-launch those models. Ditto Isuzu with the D-Max - it doesn't sell like its twin the Colorado, but sells pretty well anyway. They have brand recognition. How many Captivas would be sold if they were branded as Daewoos?

A major problem for Skoda in Australia is VW haven't done for them what GM has done for its (former or current) satellites. Even Audi I think suffers the same way.

But I reckon the market will see quality and value eventually - even if Skoda is never going to be a top 10 brand in Australia the trend is up.

[BluChris]

Something that has always concerned me is that while I took the plunge I have at least 2 friends who claim to be enthusiasts who haven't. One has bought since 2007, but sticks with Mazda like glue. The other is on a long, slow journey toward a new car and might consider Skoda but in the end I bet he won't buy. They both appeared slightly incredulous when I bought mine in 2009. Their concerns? Resale in a big way and potentially reliability for what is seen as an unknown product. Even now, with a bit of a track record, there are many who stick with the big brands for these sorts of reasons.

I wish I knew of a way to get more of the enthusiast crowd on board. They are the most likely early adopters I would have thought, and potentially great brand advocates. On the other hand, I see Skodas every day and only rarely even get a hint of recognition from the other driver. Tends to scuttle my argument about who's buying and whether they would promote Skoda.

[MarksVRS]

I agree with NotYet. "Sensible, Practical, reliable but unsexy" sounds like Toyota through and through but it isn't hurting their sales.

Correct me if I am wrong but I think a key difference between Opel and Skoda is that Opel have had a badge change arrangement with GM/Vauxhall/Holden which has had a positive impact on the "warm, fuzzy feelings" of the consumer, whereas Skoda are just accessing the VW parts bin.

I did not buy my VRS based on looks although I do not have a problem with the looks at all. If I was worried about what everyone else is driving I would not have given it a second glance so my preference is to see the "occassional" Skoda rather than be drowning in them.

My only concern is that VAG/Skoda provide ongoing support for future years and given their strength in Europe, I don't think this will be an issue (other than the wait time on some parts....).

[dArK5HaD0w]

Correct me if I am wrong but I think a key difference between Opel and Skoda is that Opel have had a badge change arrangement with GM/Vauxhall/Holden which has had a positive impact on the "warm, fuzzy feelings" of the consumer, whereas Skoda are just accessing the VW parts bin.

that's right, opel already have an upper hand in the australian market in the sense that GM already sold them here badged as holdens.
i had an astra myself - the opel version.
many people here prefer the opel/vauxhall variants as opposed to the korean daewoo variants. astra & barina are classic examples of that.
when holden decided not to bring the new opel based astra and barina models, there was uproar amongst many many buyers here in oz, myself included. no one wanted the cheaper daewoo version, also owned by GM.

with the news that opel is coming on its own two feet (not in holden-guise), there were alot of smiles. people were waiting for this to happen.


skoda oz unfortunately don't have that advantage, infact, as we all know, they have a disadvantage - thanks to the shock horror days of the 1980s.
coming under the arm, and watchful eye of vw oz, there is no chance at all, that skoda sales will be in the thousands each month! even if skoda's marketting game is lifted, sales will be muted - vwag needs to protect vw.

[pologti18t]

many people here prefer the opel/vauxhall variants as opposed to the korean daewoo variants. astra & barina are classic examples of that.
when holden decided not to bring the new opel based astra and barina models, there was uproar amongst many many buyers here in oz, myself included. no one wanted the cheaper daewoo version, also owned by GM.
with the news that opel is coming on its own two feet (not in holden-guise), there were alot of smiles. people were waiting for this to happen.

There might have been an uproar with a small enthusiast crowd but there were A LOT of ordinary people who grew to detest their opel sourced Astra (TS) and Barinas. Lots of faults.. most of them quite expensive to fix (brakes, ecu, timing belts etc etc). I think Holden were quite glad to get rid of them in the end.

ps. I use to own an Astra SRi 2.2

[VAG newbie]

I agree with NotYet. "Sensible, Practical, reliable but unsexy" sounds like Toyota through and through but it isn't hurting their sales.

To some exend the styling has killed Corolla a bit. Mazda 3 has outsold Corolla for a while now. I personally also think Mazda3 looks ugly, but according to many of my female colleagues, they think its the sexiest car around. Somehow it appeals to female drivers.

Toyota remains number one also because it has government fleet and commercial sales. But if we look at just private buyers, Mazda wins.

However, people who buy toyotas are the people who don't care about cars. They won't even get a brochure or test drive. They will just get a Corolla to get them from A to B. These people will never be a Skoda owner, and I think it will be a big mistake if Skoda is trying to gain business from them These people take Toyota as a religion and will never change their mind. So even if Toyta makes the most unreliable cars (their reliability was questionable last year, but did it hurt their sale? Not at all), most impractical and non sense cars, these people will continue to get a Toyota!

Same goes with Holden worshippers. That s why Holden realize there is no need to source the car from Europe anymore. Even Korean Holden will sale like crazy (ie. Cruze and Captiva).

But, yes, I agree it is multifactorial, not just styling and pricing. I am just saying it is one of the reason.

[Ocy_RS_TDi_Kombi]

Lack of dealerships does the Skoda brand harm too - have mentioned this before.

Look at dealers in Melbourne - Essendon (good for North West suburbs), Epping (northerners), Richmond (good for city folk), Mentone (good for the south east on the bay) and Frankston (southerners).

No one in the East, North East, South East or West - nearly half of Melbourne's population.

Put a dealership in Werribee, Burwood/Nunawading, Bundoora & Dandenong (even Doncaster or Glen Waverley) and the sales will follow. People won't buy cars if they have to drive half of Melbourne of look at one or to service it - some VW dealers can service your Skoda but they aren't specialists. Personally I cannot understand why they have Mentone & Frankston as they are close to each other, yet have massive gaps elsewhere.