The first sustainable Škoda showroom has opened in Riga

A Škoda dealership where you can get your bicycle repaired or hang out in a café? And designed to have a low carbon footprint? Škoda Skandi Motors, a showroom that has recently opened in Riga, is all that and more.

10. 9. 2024 Green Future

The dealership on the outskirts of the Latvian capital has been designed to meet the demands of the present day. In addition to the standard services linked to the sale and servicing of Škoda cars, the dealership offers customers the opportunity to sit in a café that is part of the showroom and open to the general public. Cyclists will find a bicycle repair stand with tools and a hand pump for inflating tyres in the space in front of the dealership in Riga. The Škoda brand is committed to making its dealerships beneficial to local communities.

The new dealership in Riga includes facilities for bicycle repair and tyre inflation.

The showroom has been refurbished in line with Škoda’s “GreenRetail” strategy, which means with sustainability and emissions reduction in mind. Wherever possible, the modifications used existing solutions – nothing was changed just for the sake of it. This reduced the consumption of materials and the amount of waste generated by the renovation. Greenery was added to the surrounding area, with new trees planted, among other things. “The sustainability of our dealerships is also to help them fit even better into the local community and be a beneficial part of it,” explains Jaromir Kuhn, who is responsible for CI/CD and dealership architecture, one of the principles behind the renovation. “We know that our customers are interested in sustainability, which is a natural part of life for them and an area they themselves are taking many concrete steps in,” adds Michal Zahrádka, who is responsible for dealer network development at Škoda.

Flexibility, design, sustainability and timeless architecture are key elements of the new showrooms.

The first step towards the future

Under Škoda’s GreenRetail strategy, dealerships can also use a basic architectural concept for their showrooms, which they can of course adapt to local needs. The concept emphasises flexible building layouts, timeless architecture and best practices. All of these contribute to the long-term service life of buildings, ensuring they won’t unnecessarily burden the environment with repairs in the near future. Recommendations also include reducing glazed areas and using alternative energy sources, such as rainwater, waste heat and battery storage.

The LED screen on the façade is powered by solar panels.

Motivating certificate

Škoda’s GreenRetail strategy is part of VW Group’s “goTOzero Retail” programme. Volkswagen wants to be a completely carbon-neutral automotive group by 2050, and dealerships have an important role to play in achieving this goal. They can also be motivated by new certification. There are four levels that can be awarded to dealers: bronze, silver, gold and platinum. The Czech carmaker already has more than 50 dealerships worldwide with one of the VWG goTOzero Retail certificates. The first one was in Poland, and the Laureta Auto dealership in Mladá Boleslav is another recipient. Skandi Motors in Latvia could be followed by dealerships in the Czech Republic, the Netherlands or Italy.

The dealership in Riga has put several of the recommendations into practice: an LED screen on the façade draws energy from solar panels located above the entrance; the showroom’s glazed surfaces have been given a coating to mitigate possible overheating of the interior by sunlight; the building has automatic smart temperature control and the ventilation system has also been improved.

An electric car charging point is another feature, of course.

Water heating and circulation is also more efficient, with newly fitted taps reducing water consumption. There is also energy-saving LED lighting that adapts to the way a given zone of the showroom is being used. “As a result, we are not only improving the sustainability of our dealer network, our concept is saving dealers time and money,” Jaromír Kuhn remarks.

Solar energy use was one of the factors that earned the Laureta Auto dealership in Mladá Boleslav a VWG “goTOzero Retail” certificate.