With the announcement of Škoda’s decade of transformation, NZ Company Vehicle thought it a good idea to get a clearer picture of what the next 10 years looks like for Škoda New Zealand and its dealers. We spoke to general manager Rodney Gillard for his insight.

“Yes, we are looking at a change for the brand and with the launch of the premium EV – the Enyaq – we are looking to introduce new customers to Škoda while we maintain our relationships with those already in the family.”

Škoda’s business model to date has been illustrated by its clients which consists of the fleet sector and mainstream retail, both markets having been served very well by the brand and its product portfolio.

“The all-electric Enyaq opens a new segment for Škoda,” explains Rodney, “that of the Premium market. This is one which Škoda and its valuable dealership network is going to have to work at to introduce new customers to.”

Škoda NZ is hardly forsaking its existing customer base, far from it.

“What we are seeing,” says Rodney, “is our fleet and mainstream retail customers taking advantage of our ever-improving ICE-powered product with a blurring of the two sectors as our product range suits both customer groups.”

Škoda’s electric vehicle product offering could well be considered the start of the brand’s transformation, as it has the potential to introduce new customers to the Škoda brand.

Realistically, jumping to a premium EV as the Enyaq is from even Škoda’s top end ICE product may work in some cases, but it is more likely  as time goes on, that Enyaq will serve to entice buyers from other premium brands.

“In fact,” Rodney says, “the largest part of early adoption inquiry we have had for Enyaq so far, has stemmed from GM’s, business owners and CEOs.

“We expect this to continue, though Enyaq’s arrival at our dealerships has stimulated market interest in the brand overall, especially by those looking to Škoda for the quality and value formula the brand has always stood for.”

Internally throughout Škoda’s national sales network, the Enyaq has done a number of positive things, not least of which is to stimulate interest in the brand.

“We have undertaken the Enyaq release with the high level of factory support which has seen Škoda NZ break into the larger fleet sectors with Corporate Cabs and the NZ Police,” says Rodney, “and this has allowed us to better look after the smaller fleets and business entities – the SME’s – with greater ability to support their needs, especially in terms of product availability.

“From an on-the-ground perspective, our dealerships have seen the results and because they work so closely with us, they are more committed to the brand and its direction, recognising that Škoda is all about ensuring an effective partnership between dealer and distributor.”

Rodney points out that Enyaq’s arrival has done a huge amount to cement the relationship between Škoda NZ, the dealerships and the factory.

“We are so fortunate to have the ability to put an Enyaq into every dealership,” Rodney says. “We have made it possible for all dealers to participate in the next evolution for Škoda in this country and reignite their interest and enthusiasm for the brand.”

Enyaq’s introduction is unlike any seen before within the Škoda NZ network. It is a programme which has been years in the preparation with over 50 people at Škoda NZ having been involved in one way or another.

“It is new territory for Škoda NZ and new territory for our dealers. We wanted to make sure they were fully prepared with everything they needed to handle questions from customers which the dealerships might not have ever encountered before,” says Rodney.

“This would not only be questions regarding the new market space Enyaq operates in, and the usual  questions potential buyers might ask about the vehicle itself, but there would likely be questions  around charging the vehicle, how to drive it most efficiently and a raft of other topics which – because we haven’t been in the EV space until now – our dealers have not had to know about.”

To become EV experts overnight is a little unrealistic, despite Škoda dealers already having had to come to terms with Škoda’s plug-in hybrid technology in the Octavia and Superb models. Pure EVs however, are not Simply Clever, they are Quite Ingenious and the Škoda dealer network needed considerably more support.

“We put together an A to Z training tool for the dealers,” explains Rodney. “As well as the online configuration platform for the customer, we provided an online encyclopaedia to assist dealers with anything they need to help customers better understand the EV world.

“To their credit – and we don’t take this lightly – the dealers demonstrated their commitment to the brand and its future direction here by investing significantly in their infrastructure, retaining the full suite of dealership services, including finance options, servicing and the all-important test drives.”

Škoda today has a broad-spectrum vehicle solution with ICE, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric options.

The vehicles themselves range from: city-smart runabouts, to practical hatchbacks, large wagons and medium to large SUVs, all of which offer surprise and delight factors in terms of their physical attributes and performance.

“The relationship we have with our dealer network is very important,” says Rodney. “It is through the dealers that our end user customers experience the best Škoda – locally and globally – has to offer.”