Next Gen Superb - 17/2/15

[blueSup]

It looks like a Week 32 build for my car (8th August start). I hope the people that see that new advert are prepared for a similar wait.

[blueSup]

Dealers will always tell you there's no money in it. It's in their best interest to say so. Many years ago a bill of materials for a specific Audi model got out and showed just how much there was in it for dealers. A Holden dealer mate of mine gets $2.5k for a sale even after "negotiations".

[2009fsi]

It looks like a Week 32 build for my car (8th August start). I hope the people that see that new advert are prepared for a similar wait.

It reeks of a lack of belief in their own product, doesn't it bluesup. It happens when a businesses expectation is driven by the rear view mirror projections of ana!!y retentive accountants. No faith in their own product & a total aversion to 'having stock'. Skoda VAG might think they are delivering 'world's best practise', 'just in time', minimal overhead, smart management. I think them their products worst enemy. The same philosophy extends right down the chain to the dealer network, where not even the most common spares & consumables are stocked. Everything is at least a next day job from VAG's warehouse at Chullora in NSW.

One wonders just how many sales are lost when months of delay is the only option. In my case I'm taking a car in a colour I really don't like, because I'm not prepared to wait 6 months, just for a colour. I reason that as the driver, I'll be looking out of it, not at it, most of the time.

Doing a deal with a dealer to trade a car in six months time, with all the out of pocket costs that involves on an older, out of warranty vehicle, needing to maintain the value of your trade-in & in the case of some makes & dealers, having to get involved in hedging their FX exposure, is not for me. The sellers risk is all dumped in the buyers lap.

I came very close to pulling the plug on my 206 purchase. They got 'my car' in, the right colour & extras, only to realise the day before delivery, it was a 162, not a 206! I looked a Jags, Volvos, Mercs & Beamers, thought about a Jag, but decided to stick with the Skoda when they rounded up the one off the last ship. The 206 is the goods as far as I'm concerned. Surely Skoda will get it right this time! If not, I'll almost certainly go to the other dago, as we used to say before the precious PC mob escaped from the asylum. In most cases, 20k more for a car no better, in my opinion, not as good as the Skoda 206.

It seems to me, if you want to break out of being just a niche supplier to a small rusted on market, 'the new Saab' for eccentrics some say of Skoda, then the company has to start believing in its own product & potential. That means having a rolling supply of most commonly configured vehicles in stock & a support network adequately provisioned.

I think the product is good, but the management straight out of Arthur Daley enterprises.

[bobski]

I think the product is good, but the management straight out of Arthur Daley enterprises.

Has been that way since I bought my first one in 2010. If you want a desirable model, take what they have or be prepared to wait.

I got on good terms with the sales rep at my local Skoda dealer and he said many sales went down the gurgler if wait times of more than a month come up and lots of tyre kickers walked straight away. When I ordered my RS, they didn't put the order in for a month (after I rang them demanding to know the delivery date). I could have cancelled the order (am very glad I didn't), but that after sales support is just typical of many dealerships and I don't think Skoda can do anything about that as I doubt they are in a strong position with mixed brand dealerships where they are the underdog brand (which many seem to be these days). It is also the nature of the industry, salespeople are chasing sales, once the sale is made, your popularity wanes.

Given the factory seems to be flat out and Skoda worldwide is growing and growing, I really doubt anything will change and we'll see the same gripes in another 6 years on this forum At least the cars make up for it.

[2009fsi]

One of the unique things about Skida in Aystralia, compared to ither countries is, there really isn't Skoda representation out here, The show is completely under the control of a conflicted VAG. There is a Skoda sign on the building in Chullora, but everybody works for VW. Drive past, none of the staff going in & out or parked in the street is a Skoda.

I was talking to the salesman at my Skoda dealer yesterday. The level of frustration he feels when a keen buyer discovers his new dream car will be take 8 months, turns & walks away is intense. As he said, lots of buyers for a great product which is good enough to sell itself, let down by short sightedness by his supplier, VAG.

Let me add here, after just a few days of ownership, I could not possibly be more pleased with my 206 sedan.

[tigger73]

Agree but just remember only year or so ago Skoda were still trying to clear out 3 year old "new" cars. I bet there was a fair few $ lost on these slow moving models.

[2009fsi]

A circular story, isn't it tigger: The DSG about face by the motoring gurus didn't help either.
If you don't promote a product, don't support it & tell customers they have to wait too long, they will go to the other dago.
This country has so many brands/models in every category, options abound. If they are the one with no clear strategy to take that market on & carve out your share, they'll be the losers. Forever the little niche for escaped eccentrics determined to stoically put up with anything, just to be different. I'm sure that wasn't the plan when Skoda launched..... but.

[tigger73]

Yes 100% agree. Though I'm sure the delays are only due to the Skoda factory having a hard time keeping up with demand. Likely we're only getting allocated volumes based on previous sales.

It is a pity that now there's a decent product that could sell like hotcakes that supply isn't able to keep up with demand. Even if it was a 2-3 month wait that would be acceptable to most people but 8 months is really only for the hardcore Skoda nuts.

[woofy]

The dealer I picked my Octy up from last week reckons the Zagames have been over to Skoda HQ and there are big things afoot, so much so that he is outfitting a new Skoda building (and putting mclaren in the old smaller space) as well as setting up a dedicated service just for Skoda no longer shared with Audi. That actually was supposed to be the case from the get go in their old site, but never happened. What they have been told is that partly assembled Skodas will be sent to Vietnam for final assembly and painting to help with the backlog for countries like us so far away from CZ. I can't think of anything worse, Skodas rep is based on the CZ build cars, not the Chinese, Indian and Russian builds and it sounds like where Renault made mistakes for locally supplied cars here.

[alexaescht]

Next Gen Superb - 17/2/15

Final assembly in Vietnam!? That seems like a really weird decision from Skoda. Surely quality will be affected.

[woofy]

Yep you would think so. Not a weird decision for VW group though, they build their cars all over the place and other euros do as well.

[alexaescht]

That is true. The cars in our driveway are made in South Africa (VW Polo) and Turkey (Renault Megane) so I suppose Vietnam isn't a huge stretch past that. Still, I'm not sold.

[2009fsi]

Anybody seen something like this for Australia?

Skoda Vietnam
4. Marketing strategies of Skoda Auto in Vietnam
4.1 Marketing Objectives:
The main objectives of the company are:
* To penetrate into the Vietnamese market in 2015
* To create brand awareness for local consumers and increase customer’s perception towards its brand name
* To become one of the ten biggest car brands in the market
The choice of 2015 as entry year is favorable for Skoda because Vietnam’s automotive market is growing quickly and all competitive advantages for the company including lower vehicle import tax, high demand of Vietnamese consumers etc will help company to enter the market successfully.

4.2 Segmentation, targeting, positioning strategy
Target groups for Skoda Auto’s vehicles will be based on four groups of segmentation variables such as Geographic, Psychographic, Demographic and Behavioral
In Geographic segmentation, two major regions for the company are Hanoi Capital in the North and Ho Chi Minh City in the South. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi capital are chosen in terms of numerous population, high income level and high demand of car purchase. Concerning the population scale, Ho Chi Minh stood in the first position with 7,165,000 people and the second was Hanoi with 6,472,000 people.
In Demographic segmentation, both men and woman, aged between 25-60 years are addressed. Average Vietnamese household size is about 4.1 person/household, so Skoda’s models such as Fabia, Octavia, Yeti will be the most affordable choice for the Vietnamese middle class and Superb will be suitable for the Vietnamese upper class. Based on the income level of Hanoi Capital and Ho Chi Minh City, the group with minimum annual income of $23,000 per year will be addressed for purchasing Skoda’s vehicles including senior employees, businessman, doctors and politicians.

[Alf01]

So have they got a factory build in Vietnam?
The spray painting of the cars shouldn't be an issue as they are done by robots anyway.
Assembly might be a different story. But I have got no idea of the quality work that Vietnamese can do.

[2009fsi]

Japanese make cars in Vietnam. There are several different brand factories assembling & exporting.
Quality is usually related to how good the training & pay rates are, in the third world. If everybody is happy, it works. If not, the odd screw chucked in a panel, in revenge. The Viets are as good as any, if they are happy in service.