Shanghai/Mladá Boleslav, 23 August 2011 – ŠKODA and Tongji University entered into an extensive cooperation agreement in Shanghai today. The Czech manufacturer will provide support for research and the development of talent at the Chinese university. A special exchange programme for students at ŠKODA University and Tongji University has also been created.
“ŠKODA aims to double its worldwide sales by 2018 to at least 1.5 million units. For us to achieve this growth, China plays a central role as a production site and what is now ŠKODA’s largest export market,” explains Dr. Winfried Vahland, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ŠKODA. “As education is the best investment into the future, cooperation with Tongji University is only logical,” says Vahland. “As part of ŠKODA’s growth strategy and the internationalisation of the brand, we need exceptionally well-educated specialists around the world over the coming years. That’s where Tongji University comes in.”
“It is a special honour for us, as the first university in China, to enter into a cooperation agreement of this nature withŠKODA,” says Professor Li Zhenyu, Director of the International Exchange and Cooperation Office at Tongji University. “This collaboration will help us very much on our path to becoming a top international university. As a first step we will concentrate on studies on developing the Chinese automotive market. Additional research projects should gradually follow. Our expectation from the exchange programme is that it will be a strong stimulus for bringing top new people into the Chinese car industry.”
ŠKODA has had a presence in China since 2007. The production of the Octavia at Shanghai Volkswagen four years ago launched the car maker’s impressive growth. Last year China topped the list of ŠKODA export markets, with over 180,000 cars sold. Sales on the Chinese market climbed 30.6 percent in the first seven months of this year alone, and in May 2011 the Shanghai Volkswagen factory has managed to pass the production threshold of 500,000 manufactured ŠKODA vehicles. The car maker aims to expand its good position over the coming years. After the Octavia, Fabia and Superb, from 2013 ŠKODA will manufacture new compact sedan as its fourth model in China together with Shanghai Volkswagen. From 2013 ŠKODA and Shanghai Volkswagen will also manufacture the Yeti, a compact SUV, bringing the number of locally manufactured ŠKODA series up to five.
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