ŠKODA began exporting its first models, which included the FAVORIT and FORMAN, to Israel in the 1990s. To date, ŠKODA has delivered more than 231,700 vehicles in the region. Between January and the end of September 2019, 16,700 cars were sold to customers in Israel. This September, ŠKODA AUTO delivered 1,100 vehicles to customers, an increase of 34,5 per cent over the same period last year (September 2018: 800 vehicles).
The Czech car manufacturer is number four in the Israeli vehicle market. The best-selling models in 2019 are OCTAVIA, KODIAQ and KAROQ.
The fleet business is a cornerstone of ŠKODA AUTO’s success in Israel. In addition to numerous banking companies, wholesalers and telecommunications companies, Israeli ministries and other state authorities also rely on the Czech vehicles. Through its importer Champion Motors, ŠKODA was awarded the contract in 2018 to supply vehicles to various ministries as well as the army, police and other authorities. ŠKODA is also firmly established as a supplier of company cars in the Israeli financial and high-tech sectors. In addition, ŠKODA models are extremely popular as taxis due to their above-average space availability and efficiency.
ŠKODA intends to further expand its strong position in the fleet business over the coming years. The brand expects significant growth momentum from the city SUV segment with the new ŠKODA KAMIQ. The ŠKODA SCALA will also contribute to the brand’s further growth. ŠKODA acknowledged Israel’s dynamic development with, among other things, the world premiere of the SCALA, which the brand unveiled for the first time in Tel Aviv in December 2018.
Petrol and hybrid models with automatic transmission are particularly popular among customers in Israel. ŠKODA AUTO will also be offering such vehicles in the near future.
The ŠKODA AUTO DigiLab from Prague and the importer Champion Motors operate the ŠKODA AUTO DigiLab Israel as a joint venture in the start-up hotspot Tel Aviv. The creative workshop builds partnerships with start-ups of a certain maturity and has established itself as part of the digital ecosystem of the Mediterranean metropolis. ŠKODA AUTO intends to use technologies arising from these collaborations to develop a wide range of digital mobility services. In addition, ŠKODA AUTO holds shares in the Israeli high-tech company Anagog, which specialises in developing and applying artificial intelligence in the context of mobility.
