Skoda Auto Sales in Australia via vfacts

[brad]

Interesting article in todays Drive.

Basically, they are perplexed as to why you'd release the Fabia wagon at pretty much the same time as the Roomster when the specs are near enough identical.

Bizarre - all these niche vehicles on such low volumes.

[VAG newbie]

There are still discrepancies in the figures.
According to the recent interview with Matthew Wiesner Skoda sales were 3500 in 2011 (291 average per month) and are "on course to double again in 2012" which means an average of 583 per month.
I think there is a large amount of positive spin in anything that comes from Skoda Australia. Maybe they have the same "no bad news" attitude as the Hastie Group.

I am starting to suspect a lot of the last year's figure has been boosted up by dealers registering stock cars for demo. I walked into my local dealer yesterday and have found a much higher number of their cars got registered, and is now on sale as demos with heavily discounted prices (ranging between $4000 for a Fabia to almost $10000 for Superb wagon).

Last year I used to walk into the same dealership almost every week while waiting for the delivery of my car, they had as many cars but most weren't registered. It's the same dealer, the same manager, I don't see any reason why he would rush in to register all these cars other than getting a good incentive from Skoda AU to do so.

So now they will have many of these demos to clear out from last year, so the sales figure wouldn't be as pretty as last year. How many of the 370 are genuine sales, I am not sure, but I assume it will definitely be more than same time last year. And I believe many of the sales are demos that just didn't count.

Is it a right move by Skoda to boost the numbers? Perhaps. At least it will give the general public the confidence that Skoda is selling. As long as you can get people into the driver's seat, then they will appreciate what a good car Skoda is. (My wife is one such convert. She was very sceptical about Skoda before I buy it. Recently she drove my Superb up to Mount Tamborine, she was suprised by its performance and handling when climbing up those winding roads. Now she is happy for me to get another Skoda next time!)

[PassatB6]

Recently, I've had two strangers ask me about my Skoda. One was thinking about buying a Superb and another said he likes the look of Skodas. Both were interested in finding out how reliable they were and basically were they 'up to scratch'. I suspect the brand is becoming quite well known but many fear to make the jump into the unknown as most people don't have friends or colleagues who own one. Once that barrier is jumped then I think sales will really pick up because there are very few people who have been disappointed with them once they own one.

[brad]

Recently, I've had two strangers ask me about my Skoda. One was thinking about buying a Superb and another said he likes the look of Skodas. Both were interested in finding out how reliable they were and basically were they 'up to scratch'. I suspect the brand is becoming quite well known but many fear to make the jump into the unknown as most people don't have friends or colleagues who own one. Once that barrier is jumped then I think sales will really pick up because there are very few people who have been disappointed with them once they own one.

I don't think so. The bulk of car buyers just want the cheapest, most reliable transport they can get. As such, they doom themselves to repeat what has worked for them previously. People are too conservative.

I get lots of people ask me what car to buy because I'm a petrol head, qualified mechanic & they know I research all my purchases to the nth degree. The only people that I've convinced (to take a look & eventually buy) are a couple of petrolhead mates that probably would have made the decision without my input. Other, less car orientated friends just go & buy from the jap/korean/aussie stable over & over again.

People still don't believe me when i tell them an Audi has similar engines/chassis to VW which is similar to a Skoda (they also don't believe me when i tell them a Jag X-type is the same underneath as a Ford or SAAB 9-3 is the same as a Vectra.)

My FIL doesn't believe me when i tell him I only get my car serviced every 15,000km & it's cheaper per km than his Camry that he gets serviced every 5000km.

Look at the car sales chart - it's pretty obvious that people are like sheep & the most popular brand is Toyota & everything after that is an also-ran.

[VAG newbie]

I don't think so. The bulk of car buyers just want the cheapest, most reliable transport they can get. As such, they doom themselves to repeat what has worked for them previously.

Agree with cheapest, not sure about most reliable. As long as its cheap. people will buy it. Otherwise why would Great Wall even made it to top 20? Why would Holden and Ford be up there with the tops? Even Toyota, which supposed to be the "most reliable" car, after they had many quality control issues that resulted in several fatality, even after the CEO of Toyota confessed in front of the Congress that they Toyota DID cut corners to boost up sales, it did not hurt Toyota's sale one little bit. The tsunami did more damage to Toyota!

I think i will just quote Leonardo Decaprio from the movie "Inception". Once an idea has been implanted into someone's mind, that idea will remain forever. Toyota buyers will always be Toyota buyers. Holden buyers will always be Holden buyers (even though Holden is actually Daewoo now). No matter what Skoda does, no matter what we do, these people won't change.

But there will be a group of smart clever buyers like us, who would spent time and effort to research into cars. I am sure there are some out there that knew Skoda is good, but just too afraid to jump in. So if Skoda Aus would improve on their pricing on some of their models, educate some of their sales consultant, and do more advertisement, I think sales figure will improve. But it will never reach Toyota/Holden/Ford level (even VW struggled to do that), simply because most people are too stubborn.

[stormshark]

Agree with cheapest, not sure about most reliable. As long as its cheap. people will buy it. Otherwise why would Great Wall even made it to top 20? Why would Holden and Ford be up there with the tops? Even Toyota, which supposed to be the "most reliable" car, after they had many quality control issues that resulted in several fatality, even after the CEO of Toyota confessed in front of the Congress that they Toyota DID cut corners to boost up sales, it did not hurt Toyota's sale one little bit. The tsunami did more damage to Toyota!

I think i will just quote Leonardo Decaprio from the movie "Inception". Once an idea has been implanted into someone's mind, that idea will remain forever. Toyota buyers will always be Toyota buyers. Holden buyers will always be Holden buyers (even though Holden is actually Daewoo now). No matter what Skoda does, no matter what we do, these people won't change.

But there will be a group of smart clever buyers like us, who would spent time and effort to research into cars. I am sure there are some out there that knew Skoda is good, but just too afraid to jump in. So if Skoda Aus would improve on their pricing on some of their models, educate some of their sales consultant, and do more advertisement, I think sales figure will improve. But it will never reach Toyota/Holden/Ford level (even VW struggled to do that), simply because most people are too stubborn.

I know how good Skoda are and would buy, but servicing options, availability and cost and dealer changes /consolidations just would probably make it too hard to own in the medium term.

[PassatB6]

I don't think so. The bulk of car buyers just want the cheapest, most reliable transport they can get. As such, they doom themselves to repeat what has worked for them previously. People are too conservative.

I get lots of people ask me what car to buy because I'm a petrol head, qualified mechanic & they know I research all my purchases to the nth degree. The only people that I've convinced (to take a look & eventually buy) are a couple of petrolhead mates that probably would have made the decision without my input. Other, less car orientated friends just go & buy from the jap/korean/aussie stable over & over again.

People still don't believe me when i tell them an Audi has similar engines/chassis to VW which is similar to a Skoda (they also don't believe me when i tell them a Jag X-type is the same underneath as a Ford or SAAB 9-3 is the same as a Vectra.)

My FIL doesn't believe me when i tell him I only get my car serviced every 15,000km & it's cheaper per km than his Camry that he gets serviced every 5000km.

Look at the car sales chart - it's pretty obvious that people are like sheep & the most popular brand is Toyota & everything after that is an also-ran.

In the 90's when I bought a new MkIII Golf people treated me like I'd got a car from Mars or I was being a snooty smartarse. Nowadays, quite a few people who bought Mazdas and Subarus now buy VWs. So preferences do change over time. Buyers become more sophisticated as they travel to Europe and see hardly any Japanese cars there. Skoda will pick up over time especially with the new models coming out.

Yes Toyota sells way more than other brands but many of them are bought by Govt Departments. I would like to see the figures for private buyers only, I think it would be much closer.

Yes some people are like sheep because they fear motor cars and don't particularly like driving, so they go with the safest possible bet which they judge by whatever is popular. Look how long its taken for Falcons and Commodores to lose sales. They will only buy Skoda when everyone else has one first.

[brad]

Buyers become more sophisticated as they travel to Europe and see hardly any Japanese cars there.

how many people do you think travel to Europe & look at the cars? IMO, Australia doesn't have much of a car culture.

Skoda will pick up over time especially with the new models coming out.

How many times have I heard that in the 4 years I've owned a Skoda? They've been in the market over 4.5yrs now & the breakthrough is always "gunna happen when the new model comes out"

Yes Toyota sells way more than other brands but many of them are bought by Govt Departments. I would like to see the figures for private buyers only, I think it would be much closer.

The government department i work for buys Toyotas because they get a huge discount up front, they retain their value & are easy to flog-off. That's because there is good demand in the used market.
VW are on the government list & that helps their sales. Skoda only has the Scout on the list & that is only for emergency services.

Yes some people are like sheep because they fear motor cars and don't particularly like driving, so they go with the safest possible bet which they judge by whatever is popular. Look how long its taken for Falcons and Commodores to lose sales. They will only buy Skoda when everyone else has one first.

Most people are like sheep.

[woofy]

On that note, my uncle said had I seen the new Skodas that are being advertised, he has 4 BMWs and just bought a Citroen. I reminded him we have had a Skoda for nearly 4 yrs now and told him to look into one instead of the French cars now they are being sold in Toowoomba. He is a pretty intelligent guy I might boot and doesn't buy what others do, but still completely missed that one.

A few people have mentioned Skodas and ads to me and I'm seeing them quite a lot especially the Fabia RS ad so times are a changing. Kia made their name with the Australia Open Tennis so maybe this year is Skodas year now.

[VAG newbie]

On that note, my uncle said had I seen the new Skodas that are being advertised, he has 4 BMWs and just bought a Citroen. I reminded him we have had a Skoda for nearly 4 yrs now and told him to look into one instead of the French cars now they are being sold in Toowoomba. He is a pretty intelligent guy I might boot and doesn't buy what others do, but still completely missed that one.

After a few trips to the Citroen service centre, he will blame you why you didn't tell him. My friend, who laughed at me when I bought the Superb instead of Passat, ignored my advice that VW has poor reliability, went on and got a Golf himself. He called me yesterday and told me VW is sh*t because it started to rattles and shudder at the lights. He blamed me for not telling him to get an Octavia instead.

A few people have mentioned Skodas and ads to me and I'm seeing them quite a lot especially the Fabia RS ad so times are a changing. Kia made their name with the Australia Open Tennis so maybe this year is Skodas year now.

Don't know if it is working. 370 sales in May is hardly anything to be excited about, as compared to > 600/month last Nov/Dec. I am afraid that most of the smart people out there have got themselves a Skoda already. The rest of the people, as Brad said, are sheeps and will never get a Skoda unless everyone else gets a Skoda.

[Mysticality]

I'm doing my bit.

I'm a mobile I.T. support guy, and whilst travelling around to various different places, I always get asked "What is THAT?!"
"Oh, its a Skoda."
"I'm going to be looking for a new car soon... Whats it like?"
The varying answers are:
"Its more economical than a Mazda3, and its amazing quality"
"5L/100km and it'll kill a V6 Commodore"
"Its a Golf GTI, with a diesel engine and a wagon body"
"Have a look for yourself!"

Depending on what type of person the client appears to be.

I'm seeing Skoda's every day now. Its brilliant.

[deeps]

Well, I bought an Octavia exactly one month ago, and my dad bought one last night. Everyone has asked "what's a Skoda" but have been quite impressed when they have seen it.

[K1W1]

Buyers become more sophisticated as they travel to Europe and see hardly any Japanese cars there.

That's because the Europeans have used tax barriers to keep them out to prop up the inefficient and traditionally poor quality manufacturers in Spain, France and Italy. If the Japanese had gotten into Europe on anything vaguely like a level playing field in the 1960s and 1970s the European car industry today would consist of VW who would probably be part owned by Toyota anyway.

[brad]

Germany as well.

Plenty of Japanese cars in Austria.

[Frufru]

Not really

That's because the Europeans have used tax barriers to keep them out to prop up the inefficient and traditionally poor quality manufacturers in Spain, France and Italy. If the Japanese had gotten into Europe on anything vaguely like a level playing field in the 1960s and 1970s the European car industry today would consist of VW who would probably be part owned by Toyota anyway.

Sorry, you are far from the mark. Very far. For starters, there are hardly any tarifs for example between Korea and Europe. And tarifs with Japan are pretty low. Also toyotas, hyundais, Kias are manufactured all over the Europe. Tarifs are overrated so much. Europeans do buy cars differently than Aussies for example. Primarily though, European cars are built for consumers and conditions in Europe. In my opinion, they use more sofisticated engineering as driving condition there are more demanding (please do not mix up off-road conditions with that). Have you guys driven in Alps? While say Toyotas are built to last, they are not supposed to make us excited. Where else would Hilux be at the top of the sales charts? Also, Europeans cars are much cheaper in Europe simply that they sell it in large numbers (see point one) and therefore they have dealers network requiring much smaller margins than when you sell 20 cars a month. Also, European cars which are sold here could have been made in South Africa, Argentina or somewhere outside Europe and quality is different there.