Skoda Citigo no certainty for Oz

Skoda CEO won't confirm or deny local arrival of sub-compact Citigo, but a much bigger SUV could be on the cards...
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Mechanically identical to its sister car, the Volkswagen up!, the Skoda Citigo is the Czech company's first ever compact car. But unlike the VW up! which is coming to Australia later in 2012, the Skoda Citigo's local introduction is yet to be determined.

Skoda CEO, Dr Winfried Vahland, spoke to Australian journalists at the Citigo global launch in Portugal, saying that he wants to aggressively grow the brand in this country, targeting more than 10,000 annual sales by 2018, but cautioned "It's not yet decided [if Citigo will be coming to Australia].

"It depends a lot on the market. We are open [to the idea of Citigo in Australia]. We have a good strategy for Australia and we want to be a major volume player there."

If the Skoda Citigo did arrive on local shores in 2013, it would be positioned below the Volkswagen up! says Dr Vahland: "It will be lower [compared to VW up! pricing]."

"In general, price wise, Skoda is positioned below Volkswagen. But price is not the only item. It's very clear how these two brands are distinguished. The VW brand is more technology driven, Skoda is more customer driven."

Dr Vahland cautioned that price wasn't everything, however. 
"...We want to be our own brand, our customers want to buy a Skoda because of the ingredients of the Skoda, the DNA of the Skoda."

Skoda has plans to become a bigger player in the Australian market in the next five years, and to do so it will need to expand its range - something that would be achieved with the help of the Citigo and the rumoured medium SUV in the works. "We are very serious about Australia. If you look at the success at some of our brands [Audi, VW] a number much higher than 10,000 is justifiable [in five years time]."

"I feel that our brand is fitting to Australia," said Dr Vahland, adding, "The big SUV is for sure a car for Australia, I really know it!"

He wouldn't be drawn on exact timing of the new SUV, but he did confess that a final decision on the all-new SUV that was "bigger than Tiguan" but perhaps not as large as the Volkswagen Touareg would be made in 2013.

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