A steady stream of new and updated model launches hasn’t yet yielded gains in sales volume for Skoda Australia, but the Czech brand remains confident the tide is about to turn.
After hitting a record 7999 Australian deliveries in 2023, Skoda sales dropped by 37 per cent last year to just over 5000.
Back in April, Skoda Australia director Lucie Kuhn told CarExpert she expected a “slow recovery” this year, before stronger growth in 2026 and beyond. However, Skoda has recorded just 2902 deliveries over the first eight months of 2025, down 22.8 per cent on the same period last year.
As a result, the Volkswagen Group brand currently sits 27th in terms of vehicle sales by brand so far this year, behind the likes of Mini, Volvo, Land Rover, and Suzuki.
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Speaking again at the recent launch of the new Elroq electric SUV, Ms Kuhn doubled down on her expectations of a reversal in Skoda’s sales decline.
“I would say we are just in the middle of the process. We are just finishing the transformation from the old models to the new ones,” Ms Kuhn told CarExpert.
“The sellout of the old ones is just about to finish, and we’ve received fresh new production in the last one and a half months. So it’s coming, but we expect the biggest benefit of the new products to come next year.”
New products to the Australian market include the Elroq which has just landed, while an updated version of the related Enyaq is set to follow shortly. Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants of the Kodiaq large SUV and Superb large sedan/wagon also on track to launch locally in 2026.
Struggling models include the Kodiaq and Octavia mid-size sedan/wagon, both of which have been treated to comprehensive updates over the last 12 months. Kodiaq sales are down one per cent on last year, while Octavia sales have slumped by nearly 30 per cent.
However, new versions of both models will also be arriving soon – the high-performance Kodiaq RS is due in a matter of weeks, while the Octavia and Kodiaq will be offered with a new mild-hybrid powertrain from next year. All are expected to contribute to Skoda’s resurgence in Australia.
“We have pretty strong customers that are interested in RS models, and Kodiaq RS is about to come,” said Ms Kuhn.
“We will launch the Kodiaq RS in the upcoming few weeks… it usually has approximately 50 per cent customer rate.
“Next year we should go up.”
While an uplift in sales is still on the cards, Ms Kuhn conceded that an influx of rivals in the local market has forced Skoda Australia to reconsider its volume projections for the short to medium term.
“We will probably not make it to 20,000 sales per year, but I think going somewhere between 10,000 to 15,000 is achievable in the longer term,” the local boss concluded.
“What will delay us a little bit, or maybe keep us more stable in terms of volumes, is that right now there are too many competitors in the market, too much noise in the market.
“I think every OEM [automaker] right now in Australia must reconsider their growth ambitions. Pragmatically speaking, if you have 70 competitors in the market, you must somehow adjust the expectation.
“The Chinese are here with us, and they are coming. They will be there, and they will take their portion of the market. What the share will be, we can only speculate, but it will be significant.”