The carmaker produced nearly 450,000 cars in the first nine months of 2007, up 9.3 per cent on the same period last year.

The number of vehicles delivered to customers was up as well, with a 13 per cent rise year-on-year. Altogether, 462,400 vehicles were delivered.

The company's profits reflected these upturns, with a sales total of £4.25bn in 2007 thus far. This shows growth of 39.3 per cent on 2006.

The Octavia remains Skoda's best-selling model, with nearly 170,000 being delivered to customers over the first three quarters of 2007. The Roomster is also a big seller, with 47,183 vehicles sold in 2007.