Škoda lifts global sales 3.4 per cent to 899,055 vehicles in first nine months of 2026

Škoda grows while the core brand group shrinks

Volkswagen Group's Brand Group Core results for the first nine months of 2026, published on 30 October 2026, show Škoda Auto as the standout performer in a difficult market. Škoda's global unit sales rose 3.4 per cent to 899,055 vehicles (Q1–Q3 2025: 869,653), sales revenue grew 3.5 per cent to €23.1 billion, and the operating result increased 7.4 per cent to €1.92 billion, lifting the operating margin from 8.0 to 8.3 per cent. ¹

That growth came against a declining backdrop for the group as a whole. Brand Group Core unit sales slipped 0.5 per cent to 3.75 million vehicles and revenue fell 0.5 per cent to €106.42 billion, while the operating result fell 8.3 per cent to €4.33 billion and the margin dropped from 4.4 to 4.1 per cent. Volkswagen cited intensifying competition, higher spending on sales incentives and negative mix effects, plus significant special items including restructuring expenses and the discontinued ID.4 production in Chattanooga. Volkswagen Passenger Cars' margin fell to 1.3 per cent, and SEAT & CUPRA posted just 0.1 per cent, while Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles improved to 3.8 per cent. ¹

Volkswagen noted that demand for battery-electric vehicles accelerated significantly, particularly in the German market, driven by high fuel prices and government incentives – but that this shift was coming at the expense of higher-margin internal-combustion volumes. Škoda's result was singled out as bolstering the group's performance, with the Czech brand described as a top-performing brand in terms of profitability. ¹

Electric deliveries surge, with the Elroq leading the group

The manufacturer reported that deliveries of Škoda's all-electric models surged 41.3 per cent in the nine-month period, with the Elroq standing out as the best-selling electric vehicle for the Volkswagen Group. Škoda interim CEO Holger Peters said deliveries rose 6.1 per cent, defending the brand's position as Europe's second best-selling car brand. A note on interpretation: the 899,055 unit-sales figure in Volkswagen's table includes sales to sales companies, including other Group brands – it is a wholesale-style sales metric rather than a pure retail delivery count, and the 6.1 per cent delivery increase cited by Peters sits alongside it. ¹

Earlier periods in 2026 show where that electric momentum built. Škoda reported record first-half deliveries of 108,200 BEVs worldwide, up 48.3 per cent, comprising 59,900 Elroqs and 48,300 Enyaqs, plus 24,100 plug-in hybrids (+11.8 per cent); in Europe, more than one in four Škoda cars was delivered with a plug. First-quarter BEV deliveries had almost doubled year on year to 51,800 units. Škoda also said the upcoming Epiq and Peaq electric models had attracted more than 30,000 combined orders by the half-year. ⁵³⁸

Profitability and financial detail

Škoda's operating margin of 8.3 per cent for January–September 2026 compares with 8.0 per cent a year earlier, and the brand increased its third-quarter operating result by 10.3 per cent to €557 million. In the first half of 2026, Škoda had reported record EV deliveries alongside a return on sales of 8.5 per cent, revenue of €16.0 billion (+6.3 per cent) and operating profit of €1.366 billion (+6.3 per cent), with first-quarter operating profit the highest in the company's history at €660 million. ¹⁵³

Peters, Škoda Auto's interim CEO and Board Member for Finance, IT and Legal Affairs, said the brand continues to grow profitably in a highly competitive environment, but flagged mounting challenges in the coming year, including higher competitive and margin pressure resulting from the brand's electrification initiative. This mirrors Volkswagen's group-level observation that electric models do not yet match the margins of combustion models. ¹

How the metrics differ, and what is not in these figures

The nine-month reporting distinguishes several measures. Volkswagen's Brand Group Core table reports unit sales including third-party vehicles (Škoda: 899,055 for Q1–Q3 2026). Škoda's own periodic releases separately report deliveries to customers (555,700 worldwide in H1 2026), production (609,300 in H1 2026, including other Group brands built at Škoda sites) and sales to distribution companies (629,400 in H1 2026). These denominators differ and should not be mixed: the 899,055 nine-month figure is not directly comparable with the 765,700 customer deliveries Škoda reported for the first nine months of 2025. ¹⁷⁵

These are global and European figures. Nothing in the nine-month report provides Australian sales results, and any Australian interpretation would require separate evidence. Škoda's 2025 annual release notes that India and Vietnam help the brand leverage existing sales capacity in Australia and New Zealand, indicating the markets are part of its internationalisation strategy, but no local delivery figures are given in the sources for this period. ²

Context: a record 2025 and a steepening ramp

The 2026 momentum extends a record 2025, in which Škoda delivered 1,043,900 vehicles worldwide (+12.7 per cent) – its strongest sales performance in six years – and for the first time became Europe's third best-selling car brand, with 836,200 vehicles delivered in the EU27+4 region. Electrified deliveries more than doubled to 218,700 (174,900 BEVs and 43,800 PHEVs), and the Elroq finished as Europe's second best-selling electric car. ⁶²

Production supported that growth: Škoda built more than one million vehicles in 2025 for the first time in six years, with the Mladá Boleslav plant – the only Volkswagen Group site building MQB combustion and MEB electric vehicles on one line – producing 112,500 Elroqs after that model's production start in January 2025. In February 2026 the plant rolled out its 500,000th all-electric vehicle and opened a new battery systems assembly hall, making Škoda the group's largest producer of BEV battery systems. ⁴³

The brand's electric line-up is set to double in 2026 with the Epiq urban crossover – whose world premiere Škoda reported in May, with series production beginning at Volkswagen Navarra in Pamplona, Spain – and the seven-seater Peaq flagship flagship SUV. Škoda says the jointly developed Electric Urban Car Family (Volkswagen ID. Polo and ID. Cross, Škoda Epiq, CUPRA Raval) had received 150,000 orders shortly after debut, with around €600 million of expected life-cycle synergy potential. ⁵¹

Volkswagen CFO David Powels said the market environment remains extremely challenging and that the group is pausing development work on the future ID.Golf at the Volkswagen brand until investments can be securely accommodated – a group-level decision that does not directly affect Škoda's announced models but underscores the cost discipline shaping the brand group. ¹