ŠKODA AUTO and IT holding Etnetera Group form a joint venture for the delivery of the next-generation software for the era of electromobility

ŠKODA AUTO and IT holding Etnetera Group form a joint venture for the delivery of the next-generation software for the era of electromobility

• ŠKODA AUTO launches joint venture Green:Code with IT holding Etnetera Group
• Green:Code’s goal: To optimise the user experience for ŠKODA customers and to deliver next-generation software for the era of electromobility
• The new company will be hiring up to 200 IT experts over the coming years

(PRESS RELEASE) MLADÁ BOLESLAV, 6-Jan-2022 — /EuropaWire/ — ŠKODA AUTO, one of the world’s oldest car makers and Czech Republic largest private company part of Volkswagen Group, has announced the establishment of a new joint venture together with Etnetera Group, a Prague-based IT holding. The objective of the newly formed JV will be to optimise the user experience for ŠKODA customers and to deliver next-generation software for the era of electromobility and helping further with the car maker’s digitalisation strategy. Named “Green:Code”, the firm will be hiring up to 200 developers, software architects, business analysts, UX/UI designers and testers over the coming years.

“The foundation of Green:Code together with our partner Etnetera Group is a further step in the implementation of the NEXT LEVEL – ŠKODA STRATEGY 2030. Together with the strong software resources from the Volkswagen Group, Green:Code will help to create modern simply clever solutions and increase the speed of digitalization,” commented Christian Schenk, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Finance and IT.

“In the Czech Republic, we have a vivid market of young and innovative IT companies. Combining the strength and industry know-how of ŠKODA AUTO with the software expertise of Etnetera Group will be beneficial for both parties. I am convinced that we will achieve our goal through this strategic partnership,” said Karsten Schnake, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Purchasing.

“ŠKODA AUTO has been working successfully with Etnetera Group for many years. Together, we have developed our smartphone apps MyŠKODA and ŠKODA Plus, for example. Now we are taking our partnership to the next level with the Green:Code joint venture. ŠKODA AUTO will benefit from Etnetera’s expertise, speed and performance quality. Our goal is to make our products even more user-friendly and our internal processes more efficient. We are looking forward to further push ŠKODA AUTO’s targets of digitalization,” added Klaus Blüm, Head of ŠKODA IT.

“The joint venture with ŠKODA AUTO completes our almost 15-year cooperation on projects, which have fundamentally influenced the current form of digitalization of ŠKODA cars. Our further common ambition will be to combine our agile methods and company culture with corporate environment and to continue developing software solutions and applications that connect the car and its drivers with a perfect ecosystem of digital tools,” said Martin Palička, Etnetera Group CEO.

As part of its NEXT LEVEL – ŠKODA STRATEGY 2030, ŠKODA AUTO is intensifying the digital transformation throughout the company and stepping up its efforts in the areas of Industry 4.0 and vehicle connectivity. Green:Code provides the Czech car manufacturer with vital expertise to develop the best automotive software for its ecosystem of vehicles, mobile apps and web portals. This will enable ŠKODA AUTO to offer its customers a ‘Simply Clever User Experience’.

Green:Code will start its initial development work and implementations from the beginning of this year. The new joint venture will be based at Prague and will be hiring up to 200 IT experts over the next few years. Most of these will be developers, software architects, business analysts, UX/UI designers and testers. The management of Green:Code will be shared between the two founding companies: from ŠKODA AUTO managing director Marian Pavlík, working for the Volkswagen Group for more than 20 years in IT management positions and managing director Václav Bittner, one of the co-founders of Etnetera Group.

Media contact:

Jens Katemann
Head of Communications
e: jens.katemann@skoda-auto.cz
t: +420 326 811 778

SOURCE: ŠKODA AUTO a.s.