During the announcement of sales and financial results for 2021, Skoda unveiled a mysterious teaser that hints at a new design language. Under the name “Modern Solid”, new styles will be gradually developed from the latter half of 2022, centering on “family and outdoor lifestyle”.
The teaser shows an unidentified SUV – probably a concept, parked behind a blurry glass. The only parts that are clearly visible are a small part of the front bumper with an aluminum-style skid plate and a large chunk of protective plastic, and a fully covered grille.
Also read: Skoda’s small EV is differentiated from its VW and Cupra brothers
Other details are vertically mounted LEDs, a laid-back windshield, a clean surface finish, and powerful C-pillars. Since there is no air intake, this is a completely electric vehicle and is probably based on the MEB architecture. The design joins the existing Enyaq iV and Enyaq Coupe iV and may serve as a preview of future models, including a trio of EVs scheduled to be announced by 2030.
Sales declined, but operating profit increased
Skoda sold 878,200 cars in 2021. This is a 12.6% decrease from sales of 1,004,800 units in 2020. Skoda describes this in 2021 as a result of a global semiconductor shortage and a pandemic in the second half of the year. A challenging year.
Last year’s largest seller was 200,800 Octavia, followed by Kamiku with 119,200 and Karok with 109,200. The fully electrical Enyaqi V exceeded initial expectations with 45,000 deliveries last year. As expected, the majority of Skoda’s sales (608,900 out of 878,200 vehicles) originated in Europe, with Germany (136,800) still the strongest market.
Skoda’s sales increased 3.9% to € 17.7 billion, operating profit increased 43.2% to € 1.08 billion and cash flow increased 160% to € 554 million, despite overall declines in unit sales. did. In 2022, Skoda is concerned about the impact of the war in Ukraine, which is expected to cause supply bottlenecks, so automakers are “continuing to work on efficiency programs.”
