Czech 9-month car production up by 13%

PRAGUE (Reuters) -- Czech car production rose by 12.88 percent year-on-year in the first nine months of 2010, thanks to stronger exports as well as domestic sales, the Czech Car Association said on Monday.

Cars and car parts are the Czech Republic's biggest export and a key driver of its economic growth.

Car production in the three quarters to September rose to 807,076 vehicles, driven by output at Volkswagen AG's Skoda unit, which made 413,465 cars.

Skoda is the Czech Republic's second-largest company by sales, with revenue equivalent to 5 percent of gross domestic product. The automaker's performance is a broad gauge for the overall economy.

A joint venture of Toyota Motor Corp. and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen SA made some 247,000 cars in the period, and Hyundai's Czech unit produced roughly 144,000 vehicles.

Car exports rose by 15.77 percent years on year over the period. Domestic sales grew by 9.5 percent year on year, the Czech association's data showed.

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