Skoda News

We’ve now reached the halfway point of 2025 and new vehicle sales are a little cooler than they were last year.According to VFACTS, a total of 608,811 new vehicles have been sold in the first six months of 2025, which is down 3.7 per cent year-on-year.The following is a breakdown of the brands that have experienced the biggest amount of sales growth or decline in the first half of 2025.We’ve only included mainstream and select premium brands in this story, because while niche luxury brands like Rolls-Royce and Bentley may have experienced a large change in sales growth or decline, they come from a much lower base.This Chinese brand has been surging up the sales charts ever since returning to Australian shores in 2023.Chery’s biggest seller by far this year has been the cut-price Tiggo 4 Pro (7996 sales YTD). Its crown of the cheapest SUV in Australia was recently snatched by the Indian-made Mahindra XUV 3XO.The Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max was the Chinese carmaker’s model with the biggest growth in sales (1386 sales YTD, up 507.9 per cent), though it’s worth noting this car only launched locally in May 2024.China’s BYD experienced the second highest sales growth in Australia. In fact, in June it was the fifth best-selling brand.BYD’s best-seller was the popular Shark 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute (10,424 sales). It was actually the fourth best-selling ute in June, behind the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max.Another BYD model that has experienced a huge surge in sales is the Sealion 6 PHEV (4375 sales YTD, up 807.7 per cent), though this car only launched in May 2024.Mini’s sales growth comes from a considerably lower base than Chery and BYD, but its year-to-date sales are still up 80.4 per cent year-on-year.The Mini Countryman is one of the biggest reasons for the brand’s sales growth. A total of 1135 examples were sold in the first six months of 2025, which is up 155.1 per cent year-on-year.From an overall year-to-date sales volume perspective, however, the Mini Cooper did outsell the Countryman, with 1181 examples sold. This is up 52.2 per cent year-on-year.Cupra has slowly but steadily been increasing its sales in Australia since it launched in 2022.The Formentor SUV has been the brand’s best-seller since it arrived, with 909 examples sold in the first half of 2025. This is up 50.0 per cent year-on-year.The Born hatchback is another model on the rise for the brand, with 309 examples sold in the first half of 2025. This is up 19.3 per cent year-on-year.Polestar has a low sales base compared to rival brands in Australia, but it has picked up in the first half of 2025.The recently introduced Polestar 4 is currently the brand’s best-seller with 676 examples sold so far this year.However, only 396 examples of the Polestar 2 were sold in the first half of 2025, which is down 58.3 per cent year-on-year. Only 30 examples of the Polestar 3 were also sold over the same period.Even though the Tesla Model Y was the third best-selling car in June, it didn’t make up for the sales slump the US electric vehicle (EV) brand has been experiencing so far this year.A total of 10,431 examples of the Model Y were sold in the first six months of 2025, which is down 16.7 per cent year-on-year. This is despite the fact it launched in a new-generation guise a few months ago.Sales for the Model 3 also took a nosedive with 3175 examples sold so far this year. This is down 65.0 per cent year-on-year.The French brand doesn’t have a massive sales base in Australia to begin with, but it shrunk further in the first six months of 2025. This is despite the fact it has shaken up its product offerings and introduced more hybrids.Sales for virtually all Peugeots were down year-to-date compared to the same point last year, except for the 408 liftback. A total of 58 have been sold, which is up 48.7 per cent year-on-year.Overlooking the Peugeot 508 (2 sales YTD, down 94.6 per cent) which has been axed locally, the model that took the biggest hit in sales volume was the 2008 (111 sales, down 61.1 per cent).This Korean brand formerly known as SsangYong has been going through its second rebrand in two years and it has clearly taken a hit to its sales so far in 2025.KGM’s current best-seller has been the Musso dual-cab ute for a considerable amount of time now, however only 1131 examples were sold in the first half of 2025, which is down 44.2 per cent year-on-year.The model that saw the sharpest downturn in sales is the Korando. Only 79 examples have been sold year-to-date, which is down 71.0 per cent year-on-year.Without taking the Fiat Professional commercial vehicle brand into consideration, this Italian brand only sells small hatchbacks.A total of 207 examples of the Fiat 500 and Abarth counterparts were sold in the first half of 2025. This is down 28.6 per cent year-on-year.While sales for the regular Fiat brand are slowing, sales for the Fiat Ducato (sold under Fiat Professional) have been booming. A total of 708 examples were sold in the first half of 2025, which is up 32.8 per cent year-on-year.Local sales for the Czech brand have been sliding for a few years now, but there are new and refreshed products in the pipeline which will potentially pump up the sales numbers in the coming months.Sales for Skoda’s best-seller, the Kodiaq SUV, have remained steady in the first half of 2025 despite just launching in new-generation guise. A total of 688 examples were sold, which is down 2.4 per cent year-on-year.All Skoda models experienced a downturn in sales in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year. The model with the biggest decline is the Scala hatchback (76 examples YTD, down 67.7 per cent).

After years of ruling out plug-in hybrid (PHEV) technology locally, Skoda Australia is gearing up to potentially roll out two PHEV models as early as the end of this year.The Czech carmaker is currently testing its new Superb PHEV locally ahead of a potential launch either in late 2025 or early 2026.Speaking to CarsGuide, Skoda Australia head of marketing and product Kieran Merrigan said local testing for this model has been underway for a month.“The Superb everyone’s asking about, the plug-in hybrid that’s available in Europe, is under evaluation ,” said Merrigan.“Maybe two things to note with that is, first thing we actually have a car here doing some local testing.“We’re about a month into that, and some really, really positive results so far. There’s probably a couple months to go.“Just to highlight … it is important for us to do local testing on our cars.“The second part is we need to evaluate and get the pricing nailed for the current market.“So those two things are happening in parallel, but we do hope to have Superb PHEV offered in market toward the end of this year or early next year," he said.In addition to the Skoda Superb PHEV, the brand is also currently evaluating the new Kodiaq PHEV as another model to launch locally.Both of these models are equipped with the Volkswagen Group’s second-generation plug-in hybrid system for vehicles built on the MQB platform.They have a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that’s capable of producing 110kW of power, as well as an 85kW electric motor integrated into the six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that’s fed by a 25.7kWh battery pack.Claimed range for both the Superb and Kodiaq PHEVs is over 100km.The reason why these PHEVs did launch at the same time as the turbo-petrol range is apparently down to lack of testing, according to Merrigan.“We did some overseas testing, and it’s just that our climate is different to some of the European markets,” he said.“So there was some testing done in South America or Central America, which … was the first tick, and then that gave us the ability to actually fly some cars out from … a European market and test locally.”Beyond PHEVs, Skoda has confirmed it’s currently evaluating mild-hybrid (MHEV) powertrains for a number of models and could launch them locally as soon as 2026.It’s these new powertrain technologies, along with a refreshed vehicle line-up that Skoda expects will help uplift its slump in local sales.In the first five months of 2025 a total of 1784 Skoda examples were sold in Australia, which is down 22.0 per cent year-on-year.The current best-seller is the Skoda Kodiaq (572 sales), which was recently launched in new-generation guise, followed by the Kamiq (311 sales) and Octavia (291 sales). The latter recently launched in mid-life updated guise.

Skoda is currently celebrating its 130th anniversary and to commemorate the milestone the brand is launching a special-edition model in Australia.

Skoda Australia has detailed the pricing and specifications for its new-generation Superb liftback and wagon ahead of first deliveries starting imminently.This new Superb continues to now only be offered in a single range-topping Sportline trim level in either liftback or wagon body styles.Pricing starts at $67,990 before on-roads for the liftback and extends to $69,690 before on-roads for the wagon. A full pricing table is at the bottom of this story.This is a $2400 price rise for the liftback, but Skoda has included a lot more equipment that was previously locked away in option packages as standard.Power in the new Skoda Superb comes from a new version of the Volkswagen Group’s venerable EA888 turbo-petrol engine. It also features in the new Skoda Octavia RS, as well as the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Tiguan R-Line.This 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine produces 195kW of power and 400Nm of torque. This is technically 9kW less than the previous-generation version, but 50Nm more.This is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission which has one more ratio than the outgoing Superb. Power is still sent to the ground through an all-wheel drive system.Skoda claims the new Superb can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 5.6 seconds in sedan guise and 5.7 seconds in wagon guise. This is 0.3 seconds faster than the old version.While it’s faster, the new Superb is also claimed to be more fuel efficient. In sedan guise claimed fuel consumption is 7.7L/100km, while wagon guise is 7.8L/100km.On the dynamics front, the Superb picks up Dynamic Chassis Control Plus which is essentially Skoda-speak for adaptive dampers. It’s an updated version which features two independently controlled valves, and allows for 15 stages of configurability. There’s now also progressive steering.Outside there are slimmer Matrix LED headlights, new 19-inch Torcular alloy wheels, gloss black exterior highlights, dynamic indicators, and a hands-free power tailgate.Inside there are new sport seats with integrated head rests that are also electrically adjustable, heated, ventilated, and have a massage function.Other interior highlights include a heated steering wheel, 10-inch digital instrument cluster, 13-inch touchscreen multimedia system, 12-speaker Canton premium sound system, wireless charging with ventilation roll-up rear sunshades, and heated outboard rear seats.As expected with a Skoda there are a range of ‘Simply Clever’ features. These include configurable Smart Dials, a display cleaner, electrically retractable luggage compartment cover, fold-down outboard rear seat head restraints, and a fold-down rear centre armrest with integrated cupholders and a tablet holder, among countless others.On the safety front, the Superb gains an upgraded autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system, blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, lane centring, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, driver fatigue detection, surround-view camera, front and rear parking sensors, and semi-autonomous park assist.The new Skoda Superb is available in a total of seven exterior paint colours – Carmine Red, Graphite Grey, Pure White, Desert Green, Pebble Silver, Cobalt Blue and Midnight Black. All paint colours are no-cost options, with only Carmine Red costing an extra $770.The Skoda Superb is now the last mainstream large passenger car offered locally before looking at premium options. Historic rivals like the Holden Commodore, Chrysler 300, Kia Stinger, and even the related Volkswagen Passat have all been axed locally.

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The little Yugo hatchback made by now long-gone Serbian brand Zastava Automobili appears to be making a return to a market that's increasingly being dominated by new Chinese brands, and in another twist, it won't be electric.Made from 1980 to 2008 the Yugo was popular in the United States, India, Egypt and Eastern Europe. The little car was also sold in Australia before Zastava Automobili ended operations.The Yugo brand, however, has been bought by German university professor, Dr Alexander Bjelic, who plans to resurrect the small hatch that's yet to be named.While a production version is still far off, Dr Bjelic used the recent 2025 Munich Car Design Event to show off a concept version. The catch is, it's a tiny scale model in a plastic box for now with Dr Bjelic aiming to have a full-size prototype ready for the 2027 Belgrade Expo. The model shows off the little hatch’s retro-cool looks with a modern twist on the Yugo hatch. The futuristic looks may be reminiscent of a tiny version of Hyundai's Ioniq 5 electric SUV, but Yugo says its upcoming car will be powered by an internal combustion engine. The brand said an electric variant may also become available at a later point.The original Yugo hatch was known for its affordability but had a poor reputation for reliability and build quality. While the car was sold in Australia along with 76 other countries, it's uncertain whether the resurrected version will be sold in Australia.If the Yugo hatch did make it Down Under it would be up against fierce tiny rivals such as Volkswagen's Polo, the Skoda Fabia, Toyota Yaris, Suzuki Swift, MG3 and Mazda2.Still, if Yugo can price the car lower than its competitors and arrive with a design that looks as good as the concept then it could be onto a winner. 

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