Škoda Auto’s plant in Vrchlabí has produced its seven-millionth DQ200 dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission, the company says, and is heading for another record year. The Czech site is the only Volkswagen Group plant in Europe supplying the seven-speed gearbox, with around 60% of output shipped abroad for Audi, Cupra, Seat and Volkswagen models. The same plant has also introduced a new process for recovering aluminium from scrapped transmission and clutch housings.

Škoda Auto has passed a significant production milestone at its smallest Czech factory. The Vrchlabí plant built its seven-millionth DQ200 dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission this summer, and according to the company the site is on course for another record year.

Europe’s only source of the DQ200

The seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is fitted to Škoda models, but its reach inside the Volkswagen Group is far wider. Around 60% of production leaves the Czech Republic for use in Audi, Cupra, Seat and Volkswagen vehicles. Vrchlabí is the only Volkswagen Group plant in Europe that supplies the DQ200; the unit is otherwise built at the Group’s plant in Dalian, China.

That single-source position explains the steady capacity increases. Annual output climbed from more than 500,000 units to 690,000 in 2023, then to 721,400 transmissions last year. Demand for the gearbox remains strong and supply volumes have risen as well, the company says, which is why the plant has kept expanding its output.

Plant manager Lars Bürger credits the workforce for the milestone.

„Producing our seven-millionth DQ200 transmission reflects the exceptional dedication of our employees.“

During the annual summer shutdown, the plant carried out its usual modifications and maintenance on production equipment so that it can keep running at full capacity in the months ahead.

Aluminium back into the loop

Vrchlabí has also changed the way it handles large discarded parts, including transmission and clutch housings that are beyond repair or otherwise unusable. They are made from aluminium, a raw material that takes a great deal of energy to produce in the first place.

Technical modifications to the plant’s foundry and forge made the project possible. A dedicated collection container now moves the parts safely, and they are cleaned in a purpose-built parts washer and protected from contamination before going to the PKG/1 department for remelting, so the aluminium can be reused.

New EVs on site, and Superbs for staff

Škoda’s internal roadshow brought the Epiq and Peaq to Vrchlabí from 15 to 17 September, giving employees a close look at the brand’s newest electric models — the entry-level crossover SUV built in Spain and the flagship SUV from Mladá Boleslav, which seats up to seven.

Staff also had something more tangible to win. Nine Škoda Auto employees each took home a Superb 1.5 mHEV as a top prize in the draw tied to the ZEBRA idea management programme. More than 2,000 improvement proposals went into this year’s draw, and the company says the resulting solutions generated benefits worth CZK 329 million in 2025.

Outside the factory gates, Škoda continued its long-running support for the Vrchlabí Summer Music Festival, whose 31st edition ran from May to September in the monastery church of St Augustine.

What it means

Transmission plants rarely make headlines, but the numbers here matter beyond Vrchlabí. With combustion and mild-hybrid models still carrying much of the Volkswagen Group’s European volume, a single European site supplying more than 700,000 DSG units a year is a meaningful piece of the Group’s supply chain — and rising output suggests demand for those models is not fading as quickly as the shift to electric drive might imply.

Facts: Škoda Auto Vrchlabí

  • Product: DQ200 seven-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission
  • Milestone: seven-millionth unit built, summer 2026
  • Export share: around 60%, for Audi, Cupra, Seat and Volkswagen
  • Output 2023: 690,000 units (up from more than 500,000)
  • Output last year: 721,400 units
  • Other production site: Volkswagen Group plant in Dalian, China

Škoda says the Vrchlabí plant is heading for another record year of transmission production.

Source: www.skoda-storyboard.com