Skoda Auto sees VW decision on gigafactory by end of year

PRAGUE (Reuters) – Skoda Auto, the Czech unit of Volkswagen, expects its parent group could make a decision on the location of a planned large battery factory in eastern Europe by the end of the year, Skoda’s Chief Executive Klaus Zellmer said on Monday.

“If we get everything right, we might see the first firm confirmation, pending formal confirmation by our authorities within the VW group, by the end of this year,” he told a German-Czech economic forum in Prague.

“I think, and I hope, that everybody in the Czech Republic joins us in fighting for this most important puzzle piece in the transformation of this most important industry.”

(Reporting by Robert Muller, writing by Jason Hovet)