Škoda Group

Škoda Group’s development programme encompasses a full range of mobility solutions, including trams, trolleybuses, electric buses, hydrogen buses, trains and metros, and supports these solutions with comprehensive servicing, maintenance, and the in-house production of high-level electrical components. The group is increasingly moving towards sustainable next-generation transport and solutions for the data-connected transport infrastructure of future smart cities and 5G connectivity.

Its digital division is dedicated to developing and innovating digital, control and diagnostic systems for vehicles. In the field of digital technologies, the group introduced its Smart Depot concept, opening up new possibilities for transport companies to make their depot operations more efficient. The component manufacturing business also thrived, with Škoda to be involved in supplying traction motors for Melbourne’s trams. Škoda Group’s vehicles are environmentally friendly, all of them purely electric and emission-free.

In 2023, Škoda Group underwent strategic restructuring, appointing Petr Novotný as CEO, reorganising its business regions, and acquiring the Austria-based Molinari Rail and Belgium-headquartered The Signalling Company. The group’s key countries of operation are the Czech Republic, Germany, the Baltic countries, Poland, Slovakia, Finland, and Italy. Throughout the year, Škoda Group forged strategic partnerships as it sought to expand its global footprint. Looking ahead, the group has been actively considering opportunities in North America and India.

Despite ongoing problems stemming from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia's aggression in Ukraine, Škoda Group successfully secured major contracts, including orders for night coaches for the Finnish carrier VR and the Italian company Trenitalia, and completed numerous projects. The group also signed a contract to upgrade the Austrian national carrier ÖBB’s NightJet fleet. New electric trains are in the works for Uzbekistan and Estonia, while the Bulgarian capital of Sofia is set to take receipt of advanced metro trainsets. The streets of Bergamo, Italy, and Kassel, Germany, will soon welcome new Škoda-made trams. Capping off the year on a high note, Škoda Group triumphed in a major tender for the production of up to 200 trams for Prague. These will be equipped with the advanced Škoda anti-collision system, which won a prestigious Česká hlava Award in the Industry category in 2023.

Škoda also completed the handover of an entire fleet of EMU Moravia units to the South Moravian Region, introduced Škoda 41T trams in Bonn, and delivered new trolleybuses in Czech cities. It also started trial operation of the longest trolleybus in the Czech Republic, the Škoda-Solaris 24m, which has been transporting passengers to and from Prague's Václav Havel Airport since March 2024. Besides the Czech Republic, the group’s extra-long trolleybuses can also be found in Bratislava, Slovakia. In addition, new locomotives with Škoda systems at their core were rolled out in Tanzania during the year.

In 2023, the group posted revenues of EUR 1.1 billion, representing a more than 46% increase in comparison with 2022. As production increased, the number of employees grew, rising by 14% to almost 7,300. Škoda reaped the benefits of its continued efforts to foster talent development, diversity and employee satisfaction when it was once again recognised in the prestigious Randstad Awards competition by being named the second most attractive employer in the Czech Republic.

During the year, the order backlog also swelled to over EUR 3.2 billion. In 2023, Škoda Group invested EUR 85.5 million in research and development. Škoda Group also published its first ESG report, in which it laid out its sustainability strategy.