RPT-Roomster lifts VW's Skoda sales to Jan-Sept record

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Volkswagen's Czech Skoda brand increased 9-month sales by 12.6 percent to a record 462,429 vehicles with the help of its Roomster MPV, the Mlada Boleslav-based carmaker said in a statement on Thursday.

In September alone, it sold 56,384 cars to customers, making the month its second best since 1991, when the company was acquired by Volkswagen.

Although the Czech unit generates only about two-thirds of the revenue per unit that the group's core VW brand takes in, Skoda had an operating margin of 8.8 percent in the first half compared to just 2.7 percent for the German badge.

Skoda's flagship Octavia model range remained the best-selling, with nearly 170,000 units sold in the first three quarters of the year, excluding a further 54,000 first-generation Octavia Tours.

Almost a third of the roughly 174,000 Fabias delivered to customers consisted of the new Fabia Hatchback launched this year.

Skoda said its Roomster, launched in mid-2006, continued to drive growth with about 47,000 vehicles sold since the beginning of the year.

Western Europe remained its main market, but Eastern Europe's 36 percent sales growth easily surpassed the 9 percent rise in the West. Central European sales, which include its domestic Czech market, were roughly flat.

"Last but not least, the launch of the Skoda Octavia manufactured in China is another success story. Over 14,000 vehicles sold since June is a result that has surpassed the company's expectations," the company said in a statement.

Skoda, the largest Czech company with sales equal to 7.1 billion euros ($10.09 billion) last year, aims to make 616,000 cars this year, and reach one million by 2010.

The company's board last month approved a 2 billion euro plan for domestic expansion in the next five years.

-- Additional reporting by Christiaan Hetzner

[PRAGUE/Reuters/Finance.cz]