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Skoda to Import Yeti from Russia to Europe Due to High Demand

The Kodiaq might have our attention at the moment, but Skoda's first crossover/SUV is still going strong. Despite being seven years old, demand for the Yeti continues to be high.
Skoda to Import Yeti from Russia to Europe Due to High Demand 5 photos
Photo: Skoda
Skoda to Import Yeti from Russia to Europe Due to High DemandSkoda to Import Yeti from Russia to Europe Due to High DemandSkoda to Import Yeti from Russia to Europe Due to High DemandSkoda to Import Yeti from Russia to Europe Due to High Demand
As such, Skoda has decided to boost production at one of its many factories. Besides Kvasiny in the Czech Republic, which is the home of the Yeti, this SUV is also made at Solomonovo (Ukraine), Nizhniy Novgorod (Russia), Oskemen / Ust Kamenogorsk (Kazakhstan) and Anting (China).

Demand in Europe is so high that Skoda will boost production at the Nizhniy Novgorod plant, where the Yeti has been made alongside the Octavia since 2012.

The facility is a joint venture with Volkswagen Group Russia and the Russian automobile manufacturer GAZ Group. No specific figures were provided for the import of Yetis into mainland Europe. However, we think it's not a lot.

Our guess is based on the fact that total Yeti sales amounted to 99,500 in 2015, while between January and August 2016, approximately 61,700 customers worldwide opted for one. In August, sales actually dipped by about 2.5 percent.

“We are delighted to be able to deliver as many Skoda Yeti to our customers in Europe as they wish,” says Michael Oeljeklaus, Skoda Board Member for Production and Logistics.
“By using the production capacities of another European plant within our international production network, we can respond satisfactorily to the high demand.”

As we've mentioned, the Yeti was launched in 2009. While reviews weren't all that great, it's been a success story for Skoda, with 580,000 units sold so far. In 2013, the model received a mid-life facelift. That's also when the range was split between the regular model and the Yeti Outdoor.

As its name suggests, the Yeti Outdoor is designed to cope better with the rough stuff, having black plastic cladding all around instead of vulnerable paint. In mid-2015, the Yeti range was once again updated, this time with Euro 6 engines.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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