Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, which manages the India region for the five Volkswagen Group brands – Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, and Lamborghini, has appointed Petr Solc as the Director of Sales & Marketing of Skoda Auto India. 

Petr Solc succeeds Zac Hollis who will be taking on another role within the Volkswagen Group. Petr Solc is moving to India from Volkswagen Group Russia where he was the head of the Skoda division. 

Petr Solc will take charge of his new responsibilities on 1 September 2022. Zac Hollis will continue to be with the company until 30 September 2022. 

Piyush Arora, Managing Director, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, said, “Petr Solc comes to us with great experience within the Group, and I am confident that he will play a pivotal role in capitalising on the tremendous growth opportunities in the region.” 

Christian Cahn von Seelen, Executive Director – Sales & Marketing, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India added, “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, Skoda 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 Solc began his career at Skoda 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 Skoda brand’s sales planning and supply. In 2016, he returned to Skoda 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 Skoda 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.

Over the last six months, the Skoda brand has expanded its product portfolio to include the Skoda Slavia, which has revitalised the mid-sized sedan segment, the Skoda Kodiaq facelift and Skoda Kushaq Monte Carlo in the Indian market. Skoda Auto has sold 28,876 cars in H1 2022.