25 years of Skoda in Switzerland
Skoda celebrates its 25th Swiss anniversary. The Czech car brand, imported by AMAG since January 1992, started in Switzerland with a modest 60 vehicles. A quarter of a century later, the number of new cars is around 20000 per year. The car pioneer and founder of AMAG, Walter Haefner recognized in 1991 after the merger of the largest European car manufacturer Volkswagen AG and the traditional Czech brand founded in 1895 [...].
In 1991, following the merger of Europe's largest automobile manufacturer, Volkswagen AG, and the traditional Czech brand Skoda, founded in 1895, the automobile pioneer and founder of AMAG, Walter Haefner, recognized the opportunities that this brand offered for Switzerland. In 1992, he signed the import contract for AMAG, which imported a total of 60 Favorit and Forman vehicles into Switzerland in the first year of sales under the Amoda name. Soon the curve was pointing upwards and by 2003 Skoda was already selling around 4500 new cars in Switzerland. Under the umbrella of Volkswagen AG, Skoda expanded its model range from just one model in the beginning to currently seven model series.
An important milestone was the launch of the Octavia in 1996, which aroused great interest among Swiss car buyers. Perfectly tailored to the needs of Swiss customers was the Octavia 4×4 TDI launched in 1999. The second generation of the Octavia followed in 2004, flanked by the sporty RS variants, until the third and most successful version to date rolled out in summer 2013. Last year, the current Octavia was once again the
For the second time in a row, it was the second best-selling car, the best-selling station wagon and the most popular fleet vehicle in Switzerland. Now the bestseller is getting a comprehensive makeover and upgrade. The "heart" of the brand enters with a redesigned front and rear end, offering driver assistance systems with the latest technologies, state-of-the-art solutions in infotainment and connectivity, and new equipment at a high level. The renewed Octavia will be on sale at Swiss dealers from next March.
However, the Fabia, Superb and Yeti models also contribute to Skoda's success story in Switzerland. The Czechs launched their first city car in 2012 with the Citigo and their first hatchback model in the compact segment with the Rapid Spaceback in 2013. 2017 will be the year of the SUV product offensive for Skoda. It kicks off with the Kodiaq, Skoda's first large SUV. The Kodiaq will celebrate its Swiss market launch at the beginning of March. The new Yeti will follow in November.
To mark its 25th anniversary, Skoda has launched the special 'Swiss Line 25' model, which is available for various model types and offers a customer benefit of up to 4200 francs.
