Case Studies
Škoda Auto (Volkswagen Group)
The entry of the German Volkswagen Group into Škoda Auto did not mean only significant adjustments to the latter’s production and know-how but also changes in awareness of the Škoda Auto brand, which is improving every year. Since 1991, when Škoda Auto became the fourth brand of the Volkswagen Group, the Czech carmaker expanded its operations not only in its three production facilities in the Czech Republic but also in its foreign production and assembly plants in Russia, India and in China and also in its partner factories in China, India, Kazakhstan, Slovakia and Ukraine. Škoda Auto has further enhanced its activities in the Czech Republic. Besides opening a design centre, Škoda Auto established a technology centre in Mladá Boleslav in 2008 that delivers R&D solutions for the entire Volkswagen Group.
Hyundai
Another success story began with the announcement of a EUR 1 billion investment in Nošovice, Moravia-Silesia, in 2006. Over the course of 18 months, the Korean car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company built here its first production facility in Europe, which according to expert opinion is the most modern car factory in Europe. The facility produces four passenger-car models in the compact and MPV segments. Upon initiation of three-shift operation in autumn 2011, the maximum capacity of Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech will rise to 300,000 cars per year.
TPCA: One of the Most Modern Plants in the World
In early 2005, Toyota Motor Corporation and PSA Peugeot Citroen launched production at their TPCA (Toyota Peugeot Citroen Automobile) joint-venture plant near town of Kolín, Central Bohemia region. Local production covers urban car models Toyota Aygo, Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1. At around EUR 1 billion, the state-of-the-art plant is one of the biggest foreign investments in Central Europe to date. The plant produces approximately 320,000 cars per year. Eighty per cent of all parts are sourced in the Czech Republic. More than 99% of the cars are exported to European markets, mainly Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Germany. TPCA employs about 3,500 workers.
