Wonder if Skoda sees a Superb opportunity with Ford departure?

[2009fsi]

Having driven Fords since the early 1970s until I bought my Superb 3.6fsi last year, I don't agree that Ford quality was inferior. What I do know is why I didn't buy another one & bought the Superb instead. I just got sick of having to bash my head on the roof line every time I wanted to get in the car, having the seat in a compromised position to reach the pedals with my toes, because I'm not the 2meters + they design the drivers position for. Not to mention my Rugby front rower son who hated my Ford XR8, because the rear seat leg room was smaller than his shin bone to back of calf size.

The strange thing to me is that I never saw a Skoda Superb ad before I found the car. Since then I've only seen one & none of the things which influenced me to buy the Superb, like ease of entry, leg room, flexible driver seating position for any size & shape, comfort, performance & handling, build quality & finish got a look in. I know one thing, if I'd laid out the same amount of money on one of those "inferior" Fords, I would be able to trade it in for a damn sight more than I can the Superb.

I continue to be of the opinion the Superb is a great car, unknown to the vast majority of the car buying public, wrongly positioned in the market if not forgotten by the company which made it. What is wrong with VWG/Skoda in Australia? It is as if they don't actually want anyone to know about or buy Skoda cars. I'll bet Toyota will flog Camry & Lexus into the market, but my gut feeling is Skoda will do nothing, even though it has a car that fits the niche.

[Twin_Dad]

Here, Here. As you say I've had all manner of cars over the years and I can't say that the Superb is any better or worse than many other brands but it's the useability of the vehicle that had me buy it. A combination of the space for passengers and the storage as well as the security of the awd and in general the features.

I know I will suffer from the exsessive depreciation but I'll enjoy the car whilst I have it and at the end of the day that why so many different cars exist.

[Yao]

Looks like Skoda's reputation (and especially the Superb, just gets better and better in Europe as can be gleaned from this article (http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/motoring/skoda-superb-no-joke-model-1907626). Meanwhile in Australia, no proper attempt is being made to really market such a fantastic car.

I'm almost convinced so long as they manage to sell 2500-3000 Skodas a year they'll be happy to keep it as a niche car and not bother trying to increase sales volumes.

[2009fsi]

Looks like Skoda's reputation (and especially the Superb, just gets better and better in Europe as can be gleaned from this article (http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/motoring/skoda-superb-no-joke-model-1907626). Meanwhile in Australia, no proper attempt is being made to really market such a fantastic car.

I'm almost convinced so long as they manage to sell 2500-3000 Skodas a year they'll be happy to keep it as a niche car and not bother trying to increase sales volumes.

Thanks for the link Yao. I've also noted in Briskoda & media in the UK that Skoda has a really good reputation among owners & drivers.
I too get the feeling VW Group are not to fussed about selling Skodas. I think they might be perceived to be stealing sales from VW here in Australia. Personally I wouldn't have bought a Passat. The Superb is a much more practical & smarter design with the features I want. The Passat doesn't fit the same bill.
When they first opened their big facility at Chullora in Sydney, it was first labelled SKODA & looked impressive. Not long later, a much bigger VW sign went up & the Skoda shrank. One noticed plenty of staff Skodas going in & out & around the traps. Nowadays, one never see any Skodas in the neighbourhood. Indeed the entire staff at Chullora seem to have been given, or got big discounts on, new VW Golfs. They're everywhere around there, so VW sales should be well pumped up this quarter. My impression is VW run the lot & bonuses are better if they're selling VWs than Skodas.
If they want to sell Skodas, they really need to have a decent stock of vehicles available in country. While some are prepared to buggerise about for 6 months or more waiting, I think there are a lot more who want to see, drive & buy & if they haven't got it, buy something else. There is this options argument, but most of them are bolt on or third party fitted anyway. I regret to say I don't think VW Group are fair dinkum about selling or supporting Skoda in Australia at this time.

EDIT Add 25th May
The Superb & Passat are different cars. The ex-spurt motoring journos are still cut n pasting from the 3U series spec it seems.


The Škoda Superb is a luxury large family car or a D-E segment car primarily built by the Czech car manufacturer Škoda Auto as its flagship car. The first modern version, produced from 2001 to 2008 (3U series), was based on the platform of the Volkswagen Passat, share with it some mechanical components, but was elongated by 10 centimetres (3.9 in).
The second version (3T series), is no longer based on the Passat, and has surpassed it in most of the professional tests. It is currently the largest and most luxurious model in Škoda's model range.
Quoted from the leader in a tech doc I googled on Haldex systems used by VWGroup vehicles.