Mumbai/Pune, 24 August 2022: ŠKODA AUTO Volkswagen India Private Limited (SAVWIPL), which manages the India region for the five Volkswagen Group brands - ŠKODA, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, and Lamborghini, has appointed Petr Šolc as the Director of Sales & Marketing of ŠKODA AUTO India. Petr Šolc succeeds Zac Hollis who will be taking on another role within the Volkswagen Group.
Petr Šolc is moving to India from Volkswagen Group Russia where he was the Head of the ŠKODA division. With a proven track record of over 17 years working globally with the ŠKODA brand within the Volkswagen Group, Petr Šolc will be responsible for driving further growth for ŠKODA in India - a key market in the Group’s global expansion strategy. Petr Šolc will take charge of his new responsibilities on 1 September 2022. Zac Hollis will continue to be with ŠKODA AUTO India until 30 September 2022.
Piyush Arora, Managing Director, ŠKODA AUTO Volkswagen India Private Limited said, “As we witness our best growth this year, India is cementing its place as a focus market for the Group. We continue to strengthen the ŠKODA AUTO India team to further enhance our performance. Petr Šolc comes to us with great experience within the Group, and I am confident that he will play a pivotal role in capitalizing on the tremendous growth opportunities in the region. I would like to thank Zac Hollis for creating a solid base for ŠKODA AUTO India during his tenure. I wish him all the best for his future endeavour.”
Christian Cahn von Seelen, Executive Director - Sales & Marketing, ŠKODA AUTO Volkswagen India Private Limited added, “Petr Šolc has been deeply involved in ŠKODA’s global growth for almost two decades, and he will be an important addition to our dynamic team. I look forward to working with him to further expand ŠKODA’s reach in India and broaden ŠKODA AUTO’s product range here. I would like to thank Zac Hollis for his outstanding contribution to ensuring the success of the Group’s INDIA 2.0 programme. Under his leadership, ŠKODA AUTO India grew into new dimensions and witnessed its best half year ever in 2022.”
After graduating from the Technical University in Liberec with a master’s degree in economics, Petr Šolc began his career at ŠKODA AUTO in 2005, initially in the Central European Sales department. After holding various sales managerial positions in the Northern Europe region, he moved to Volkswagen Group UK in 2013, where he was responsible for the ŠKODA brand’s sales planning and supply. In 2016, he returned to ŠKODA AUTO headquarters, where he became Head of Sales for the Eastern Europe region. Over the past five years, he has managed the Sales activities in the Overseas region and taken significant steps towards developing the ŠKODA brand in markets such as India, Australia, North Africa, and New Zealand.
SAVWIPL recorded its highest-ever H1 sales in India with 52,698 units sold from January to June 2022.
Through the first six months of 2022, SAVWIPL’s sales were up 200 percent year-on-year. The Group launched ten models during this period and plans to continue ramping up its product portfolio in the year ahead.
Over the last six months, the ŠKODA brand has expanded its product portfolio to include the ŠKODA SLAVIA, which has revitalised the mid-sized sedan segment, the ŠKODA KODIAQ Facelift and ŠKODA KUSHAQ Monte Carlo in the Indian market. Having sold 28,876 cars in H1 2022, ŠKODA AUTO India is on the path to achieving its biggest sales year to date.
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Zac Hollis
Petr Solc