Skoda stepping out of VW's shadow

A model poses next to an all-new Skoda Octavia expected to hit the China market in May. [Provided to China Daily]

"The Octavia is the heart of our brand, which embodies the outstanding achievements of Skoda and made it the successful company it is today," said Vahland in an earlier interview with China Daily.

Since it was first produced in 1996, some 4.14 million Octavias have been delivered to customers around the globe, making it the most popular Skoda model.

The Octavia is also the brand's best-selling model in China. More than 680,000 units have been sold since its entry into the market in 2007.

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The new Octavia's premiere in China came two days after the Rapid Spaceback was unveiled in the world's largest auto market.

The Rapid Spaceback is part of the brand's strategy to adjust its low-profile image, said Vahland.

"We're rolling out such models to attract younger customers as we are making the brand more dynamic and passionate."

Skoda will also introduce the new Superb and the new Fabia into the Chinese market in 2015, he said.

The automaker is also considering rolling out a larger SUV than its Yeti to meet the Chinese customers' growing demand for SUVs."It is a clear trend and we will swim with the tide. In the long term we will offer two to three SUV models in the Chinese market," said Vahland.

In new-energy vehicles, hybrids are the major focus for Skoda models, he said in an interview with China Daily earlier this year. "Development of electrics in China has not achieved what the industry expected several years before. A plug-in hybrid is a feasible solution at present."

He said Skoda is strengthening its efforts in meeting Chinese consumer requirements throughout the development of new-energy vehicles."We will continue to bring Chinese consumers products with globally leading technologies and excellent Skoda quality.

"And in the future, the speed of product offering in China will further catch up with the timeline in