15/3/2023 |Articles are machine translated
Production of the Yaris at Toyota Kolín plant. | Photo: Lukáš Wagneter
Since the beginning of the year, 215,101 passenger vehicles have been produced in the Czech Republic, a quarter more than last year. However, production volumes continue to be affected by faltering supply chains and shortages of some components, which halted production at Toyota of Kolín for almost the whole of February. Bus and motorcycle manufacturers also saw a drop in production, mainly due to a shortage of semiconductors. 22 280 electric vehicles were produced, thus their share of total production has remained at ten per cent for a long time.
“Despite a nearly month-long production shutdown at Toyota Cologne caused by a shortage of components, passenger car manufacturers managed to increase overall production year-on-year from January to February, supporting the performance of the domestic economy. However, the continued year-on-year decline in bus and motorcycle production shows that the chip crisis is not over and both final manufacturers and suppliers will have to face tight supplies well into 2023. In addition, the entire sector is in considerable uncertainty about the way forward in terms of the stalled approval of CO2 targets. We therefore strongly urge the representatives of the States and the European institutions to reach a technology-neutral final agreement as soon as possible. At the same time, we strongly warn of the negative effects that any delay or challenge to the CO2 reduction targets could have on the negotiation of other sectoral standards, in particular Euro 7/VII. In its current form, we continue to see this as a critical threat to the survival of the industry, jobs and the supply of vehicle models that meet customer demands,” says Zdeněk Petzl, Executive Director of the Automotive Industry Association.
In January and February, 215,101 passenger vehicles were produced in the Czech Republic, 26.2% more than in the first two months of the previous year. Electric vehicles accounted for 22 280 units in the period and accounted for more than 10.3% of domestic car production. A total of 15 923 battery BEVs and 6 357 plug-in hybrid PHEVs were produced.
ŠKODA AUTO, the largest domestic carmaker, produced 141,688 passenger cars at its domestic plants in January and February (+28.6%). ŠKODA produced 10,918 electric cars (battery BEVs and plug-in hybrid PHEVs), i.e. 7.7% of the brand’s total production. Of these, 9,072 were battery BEVs and 1,846 were plug-in hybrids.
Hyundai’s Nosovice plant produced a total of 54,100 vehicles in the first two months, 17.4% more than in the same period last year. Of the total, 6,851 vehicles were pure electric and 4,511 were plug-in hybrids. Overall, electric vehicles accounted for more than 21% of total production.
Despite a production shutdown lasting almost the entire month of February, Toyota Cologne produced a total of 19,313 passenger vehicles in the first two months of the year, up 36.9% year-on-year. The increase in production is due to a lower comparative base in the first two months of 2022, in which the carmaker prepared for the launch of a new production line for the Aygo X and also underwent a short-term production shutdown. In light of component shortages and the resulting production shutdown, Toyota produced 1,318 vehicles in February this year, 75.6% fewer than in February 2022.
In January and February 2023, 108 fewer buses were produced in the Czech Republic than in the same period last year. The total value of production reached 633 buses, which represents a -14.6% decrease compared to the previous year.
IVECO CR in Vysoké Mýto produced 584 buses, 14.1% less than in the same period last year. SOR Libchavy managed to produce 45 buses in the first two months of this year, i.e. 1 less than last year.
KHMC produced 4 minibuses in January and February. In the electric drive segment, no electric buses were produced in the first two months.
Traditional motorcycle manufacturer JAWA Moto also saw a decline in production. A total of 109 motorcycles (-76.1%) rolled off the domestic brand’s production line, 347 fewer than in January and February last year in absolute terms.
