MISSION ACCOMPLISHED - #SKODABIGGESTYEAREVER

A look back at my INDIA (2.0) Journey

Can you imagine how it must feel to hit a match-winning six on the last ball of the innings? I have never hit one, but our accomplishment of achieving our Biggest Year in India feels something like that. Only this time, we have hit that match-winning six with plenty of overs to spare. We have sold 37,568 cars this year as of August, with more than a quarter to go for the end of 2022. Our previous high was in 2012 with 34,678 cars. Precisely a decade on, we have broken our best year record. That it took us a decade shows the transition and churn we have been through. And that’s no mean feat.

Please do allow me to be a tad bashful, a bit against my nature, and tell you this comes on the heels of us having a record-breaking month of sales in March, of us breaking our March record in June, of us having a record-breaking quarter in Q1 2022, and a record-breaking H1 2022. All of this has made India the 3rd largest market for ?KODA globally. We now stand after Germany and the Czech Republic. We have always maintained India is an extremely important market for us. These achievements over the year have only quantified our belief in numbers. ?

Congratulations to all my colleagues and a pat on every back that carried us to this historic moment.

In my over 24 years with ?KODA AUTO around the world, I have travelled, lived and worked in diverse cultures and some rather challenging automotive markets. The last 4 years in India have been most enriching and quite a revelation for me. It was one heck of a challenge to understand what a ?KODA means for India, and fashion our rejuvenation based on these very specific needs and aspirations. Just as we were seeing the results of our efforts in the metal, a global pandemic hit and piled on to our heap of challenges. But we stayed on course, believed in our vision and continued with honest effort.

When I was offered the opportunity to bring INDIA 2.0 to life for ?KODA AUTO India, there was a lot to unpack. There was competition, and changes were needed within. Some of the things remain but we started right and are maintaining momentum. The one thing we were sure of from the very start was that whatever we do, our customer must be the centre of all our decisions and innovations. The final destination of all our journeys has to be customer satisfaction. This was non-negotiable while everything else can be worked on.

We had clearly defined our goals…

·??????Bring in India-centric products

·??????Enhance customer service and bring down cost of ownership

·??????Revolutionise the ?KODA network in India

… we commenced the ?KODA’s INDIA 2.0 journey.

India first witnessed INDIA 2.0 in action with the ?KODA KUSHAQ, followed by the ?KODA SLAVIA. And both cars showcased not only our product prowess, but also stood as torchbearers for our improved customer-centricity, our lower cost of ownership, our deeper and wider network of customer touchpoints and our quick resolution of customer issues.

Along with both these game-changers, our current portfolio of the iconic OCTAVIA, , the path-breaking KODIAQ and the luxurious SUPERB is the summation of our 20 years in India. ?And it is the success of the KUSHAQ and SLAVIAs that is driving our biggest year in the country.

A huge credit to this achievement goes to our dealer partners. They share the same passion and vision for the brand as we do. Some of the sales executives I have met at our dealerships have really impressed me. These young and energetic minds have played a massive role in changing the perception of ?KODA and the overall customer experience. They bring the freshness and vigour to cater to the evolved online and offline journey that a customer takes while choosing and ultimately making the buying decision.

One of the biggest achievements of this team has been the ability to identify our legacy issues. In the last 2 years, we have built a robust mechanism to listen to customer grievances and resolve them in real-time. Of course, the road is long but the ground that we have covered is much to be proud of. We need to continue to look inward, keep learning and keep evolving. That’s the only way to grow.

Above all, a bow to the biggest factors of this success – our customers, and our online community of fans who have supported us through thick and thin.

For sure, we have made this the Biggest Year. Onward towards greater landmarks.??