Skoda Auto (www.skoda-auto.com) delivered its millionth vehicle of the year in mid-October — earlier than ever before in the company’s history; and by the end of the month, it had delivered 1,038,500 vehicles.

This represents a 6.1% increase on the first 10 months of 2017 (978,500 vehicles).

In October, Skoda delivered 99,400 vehicles to customers, a fall of 7.4% compared to October 2017 (107,400).

This is attributed to the on-going conversion of all the company’s models to the new WLTP test cycle in Europe; there was also a decline in the passenger-car market in China. That said, Skoda continues to set records.

In the first 10 months of 2018, the Czech car manufacturer’s sales grew world-wide compared to the first 10 months of 2017, with increases in Europe (4.3%), China (12.5%), Russia (28.7%) and India (2.4%).

However, the on-going conversion of all models to the new WLTP test cycle, which requires the type approval of all newly registered vehicles from 1 September 2018, means that some engine/transmission variants are temporarily unavailable.

The best-selling car is still the Skoda Octavia, while the Skoda Karoq compact SUV remains a key growth driver around the world.

In Western Europe, Skoda delivered a total of 36,800 vehicles in October 2018, down 3.7% on October 2017 (38,300 vehicles).

Deliveries in the strongest single market — Germany — fell by 8.7% to 13,500 vehicles (October 2017: 14,700 vehicles), although the company made gains in the UK, where deliveries increased by 9.0% to 5,100 vehicles (October 2017: 4,700 vehicles).

Delivery figures also increased in France, Italy, Austria and Belgium.

In Central Europe, Skoda delivered 18,000 vehicles in October, a decline of 1.2% compared with October 2017 (18,200 vehicles).

In Russia, the company delivered 7,600 vehicles to customers in October, an increase of 33.1% over October 2017 (5,700 vehicles).

In the first 10 months of 2018, the company delivered 276,300 vehicles to customers in its largest sales region, China (an increase of 12.5%), but deliveries in October were down 21.0% to 26,100 (October 2017: 33,000 vehicles).