18/4/2024 |Articles are machine translated
Production of the fourth generation Skoda Superb. | Photo: Škoda Auto
In the first quarter, a total of 394,443 passenger vehicles were produced by domestic automotive companies, up 11.5% year-on-year. This is the highest production result for the first quarter of the year in the history of the Czech Republic. Production increases were also recorded by producers of other segments – buses +6.7% (1,175 units), Tatra trucks +12.2% (405 units) and Jawa motorcycles +31.7% (241 units). On the other hand, a 7% decrease in production was recorded by trailer producers. The production of small trailers up to 3.5t was 3,741 units, while the production of large trailers above 3.5t was 531 units. In the electric vehicle segment, a total of 27,024 electric vehicles were produced from the beginning of the year to the end of March, of which 19,246 were pure electric and 7,778 with plug-in hybrid drive.
“The continued growth in production volume and the most successful first quarter result ever are a clear confirmation of the importance and contribution of the automotive industry to the domestic economy. The good news is the growth across all vehicle categories under review. Nevertheless, and precisely for this reason, we must work today to maintain globally competitive production conditions in the Czech Republic, or the EU, for example, in terms of the current negative outlook for energy price growth,” says Martin Jahn, President of the Automotive Industry Association.
In the first three months of this year, 394,443 passenger vehicles were produced in the Czech Republic, i.e. 11.5% more than in the first quarter of the previous year. Electric vehicles produced 27,024 units in the period and their share in domestic car production fell to 6.8%. A total of 19 246 battery BEVs and 7 778 plug-in hybrid PHEVs were produced. A total of 23 423 vehicles were sold on the domestic market, 6.1% less than in the previous year. More than 94% of the vehicles produced (371,020 units) were destined for foreign markets. Vehicle exports thus recorded a 12.8% year-on-year increase.
Škoda Auto, the largest domestic carmaker, produced 243,322 passenger cars (+5%) at its domestic plants in January-March. 18,649 vehicles (-7.6%) were placed on the Czech market, while 224,673 vehicles (+6.2%) were destined for foreign markets. 12,691 electric vehicles (battery BEVs and plug-in hybrid PHEVs) were produced by Škoda Auto, i.e. 5.2% of the brand’s total production. Of these, 10,171 were battery BEVs and 2,520 were plug-in hybrids.
Hyundai’s Nosovice plant saw a slight year-on-year decline in production of 1.2%. Hyundai produced a total of 87,200 vehicles in the first quarter. A total of 83,011 vehicles were exported (-1.9%) and 4,189 were placed on the domestic market (+13.1%). Of the total number of vehicles produced, 9,072 were pure electric and 5,258 were plug-in hybrid. Overall, electric vehicles accounted for 16.4% of total production.
Kolín based Toyota recorded an 89% increase in production in the first quarter. This is mainly due to a lower comparative base from last year, in which the carmaker shut down production for almost the entire month of February due to component shortages. In absolute terms, a total of 63,921 passenger cars were produced in Cologne in the first three months of this year. Almost half of these were vehicles of the Yaris HV hybrid model. The carmaker is thus continuing full production and is fully succeeding in meeting its production targets.
In the first quarter, a total of 1,175 buses were produced in the Czech Republic (+6.7%), 184 buses were destined for the domestic market (+228.8%), and the remaining 1,151 were exported (+4.7%). 1,068 buses were produced in IVECO CR in Vysoké Mýto, i.e. 4.2% more than last year, 1,124 were destined abroad (+8.8%) and 104 buses (+121.3%) were sold domestically. In the first quarter of this year, SOR Libchavy produced 97 buses, i.e. 36.6% more than last year, of which 17 units (-72.1%) were destined for export and 80 units (+700%) of this brand were destined for the domestic market. The manufacturer KHMC produced 10 buses in the period, twice as many as last year. All vehicles of this manufacturer were destined for export markets. In the emission-free vehicle segment, a total of 3 pure battery buses were added in March. They were manufactured by IVECO CR.
Tatra Trucks, which is the only manufacturer of trucks among the members of the Association of the Automotive Industry, produced 405 vehicles in the first quarter of this year, i.e. 44 more than in the same period last year (+12.2%). Tatra’s production was mostly exported (216 units), 175 vehicles were placed in the Czech Republic.
In the first three months of the year, Jawa produced 241 motorcycles, 58 more than in the previous year (+31.7%). Of the total production, 91 motorcycles of this brand were placed on the Czech market (+3.4%), 150 machines were exported (+57.9%).
The trailer segment recorded an overall year-on-year decline. Between January and March, 4,272 trailers and semi-trailers of all sizes were produced, 338 fewer than last year (-7.3%). In terms of volume, Agados, a company specialising in small trailers up to 3.5t, accounted for the majority of production. It produced 3,741 of these (-7.4%) and sold 3,741 in the Czech Republic. 1,805 units (-11.3%) and 1,459 units (-10.2%) abroad.
In the category of large trailers and semi-trailers there was also a partial decrease in production. Schwarzmüller produced 388 large trailers, 10.6% less than last year. It sold 41 units in the Czech Republic (-81.4%) and 357 units abroad (+5.9%). Panav, on the other hand, was successful in its growth, producing 140 trailers and semi-trailers and thus recording another year-on-year increase in the series (+3.7%). It placed 73 trailers on the domestic market (i.e. -18%) and 15 units abroad (+66.7%).
