- Skoda will stop selling cars in China by the middle of this year.
- It sells only 15,000 cars in 2025.
- China has been Skoda’s biggest market for many years.
Škoda’s spectacular fall in China is worth studying. For years, this was the company’s largest market, but sales began to decline toward the end of the last decade. Amid fierce competition driven by the rapid growth of local automakers, Volkswagen Group is pulling its Czech brand out of the world’s largest car market. Local sales will end in the middle of the year, according to Automotive News.
Sales figures over the past few years paint a grim picture of Skoda’s decline in China. Demand peaked in 2018, when 341,000 cars were delivered to customers. In 2025, deliveries drop to just 15,000 units. The decline is almost 96% in the last seven years, showing how hard traditional brands are struggling.
| Sales in China | Year |
| 2025 | 15,000 |
| 2024 | 17,500 |
| 2023 | 22,800 |
| 2022 | 44,600 |
| 2021 | 71,200 |
| 2020 | 173,000 |
| 2019 | 282,000 |
| 2018 | 341,000 |
| 2017 | 325,000 |
| 2016 | 317,100 |
Photo by: Skoda
Despite being in a slump in China this decade, Skoda has managed to offset huge losses by developing its products in other parts of the world. In 2025, it will become the third best-selling car brand in Europe for the first time. Demand in India is at a record high, while the brand is also gaining momentum in North Africa and Türkiye.
Globally, Skoda grew by 12.7 percent last year, reaching 1,043,900 units; his best result in six years. It is preparing to launch a new entry-level EV, the subcompact Epiq, before introducing the much larger seven-seat Peaq later this year. The Vision O concept hints at a large electric car, but it won’t go on sale any time soon.
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Motorcycle Pickup1: From hero to zilch, Skoda has fallen victim to the relentless rise of Chinese automakers and their aggressive pricing strategies. Even though the parent company is flying the white flag, it continues to invest in the core VW brand by strengthening partnerships with local players.
As Skoda exits China, the VW Group introduces a new entry in the luxury segment. Separate from the traditional Audi brand, AUDI is a joint venture with SAIC, but early signs suggest the company is experiencing difficulties.
How many legacy automakers will survive in China over the next 10 to 20 years remains to be seen, but Skoda’s withdrawal shows how quickly even big names can lose ground there.
