Volkswagen's Skoda Auto deliveries drop for fourth straight year in 2022

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Volkswagen unit Skoda Auto saw its global deliveries fall by 16.7% in 2022 due to parts shortages, supply chain problems and the war in Ukraine, but it expects improvement this year, the Czech carmaker said on Wednesday.

The automotive sector struggled globally last year, hindered by components shortages, especially for semiconductors, triggered by COVID-19 outbreaks in Asia, and by the impact of Russia's war against Ukraine launched in February.

Skoda's global deliveries fell to 731,300 cars in 2022, with the steepest fall recorded in Russia where they fell by 80%, it said.

"The market situation will remain tense in 2023, but we are cautiously optimistic that the situation will improve in the coming months," Chief Executive Klaus Zellmer said.

(Reporting by Robert Muller; editing by Jason Neely)