Car production in the Czech Republic has declined slightly so far this year. While total unit numbers have fallen, the share of electric vehicles continues to grow significantly – almost one in five cars is now an electric or plug-in hybrid. Bus manufacturing is also booming, mainly thanks to a strong surge in electric buses.
The Czech automotive industry suffered a slight setback in the first five months of 2025. With a total of 611,160 passenger cars produced, manufacturing was down 6.3 per cent on the same period last year. In May itself, however, there were signs of stabilisation, with monthly figures already approaching the previous year’s level.
By contrast, the electric vehicle sector continued to record strong growth. Almost one in five cars manufactured in the Czech Republic is now a pure electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid. “The May results reflect the slight recovery of the European market. It is particularly encouraging that Czech electric car production is growing steadily. In May, we already exceeded the 100,000 mark for electric cars produced – two months earlier than last year,” commented Zdeněk Petzl, Managing Director of the Czech Automobile Association.
Brands at a glance: Škoda bucks the trend, Hyundai and Toyota decline
Škoda Auto remains the largest single brand in the country: in the first five months of the year, the manufacturer produced 391,823 vehicles – a decline of 2.3 per cent compared to 2024. In May, however, Škoda was able to grow and exceeded the previous year’s result by around 5,000 cars. The share of electric vehicles was over 22 per cent.
Hyundai recorded a significant decline of 16.5 per cent to 123,140 vehicles at its plant in Nošovice. However, more than a quarter of these were electric and plug-in hybrid models, underscoring the increasing shift in the model range.
Toyota in Kolín also saw production fall by 7.2 per cent to 96,197 vehicles. More than half of these were the hybrid Yaris HEV – which remains a mainstay of the plant’s model range.
Buses: Production rises significantly – electric mobility gains momentum
In contrast to the passenger car sector, bus production is developing positively. With 2,244 buses manufactured, production rose by almost 20 per cent compared to the previous year. Iveco Czech Republic in Vysoké Mýto remains the market leader, with over 2,100 buses rolling off the production line – an increase of over 25 per cent.
A total of 215 battery-electric buses were built in the Czech Republic – more than 25 times as many as in the same period in 2024. Iveco accounted for the lion’s share here too, followed by SOR Libchavy.
Motorcycles: JAWA sees significant decline in production
The situation is quite different in the motorcycle segment: the traditional brand JAWA recorded a massive decline. From January to May, only 295 machines were manufactured – a decrease of 38 per cent compared
