Skoda Octavia Deliveries Halted Over Software Problem, Follows VW Golf

To say the Volkswagen Golf and Skoda Octavia are important cars for the German conglomerate would be a huge understatement. They're racking up hundreds of thousands of sales every year across the world, so even the slightest problem with these compact cars has major repercussions on VAG's sales. The automotive giant is being hit hard these days by software issues, first prompting the core VW brand to halt sales of the Golf and now its Czech arm is doing the same with its sister model, the Octavia.

The culprit? It seems there is an issue with the online connectivity component shared by the two MQB Evo-based cars, specifically the emergency call function. A spokesperson from Skoda told Automotive News Europe's sister site Automobilwoche the company is "taking the same measures as the Volkswagen brand." Unsurprisingly, the German publication has learned that Audi and SEAT are also investigating whether there are similar software issues with their A3 and Leon, respectively.

Speaking with Der Spiegel, a VW representative said the problem that forced the company to stop deliveries of its best-selling car was identified during a quality assurance check. It's too soon to know how many vehicles are affected, but they're working on a software update expected to come out in the June 15-21 week.

It's worth mentioning these software problems are not interfering with Golf production as VW is still assembling the hatchback without any interruptions. These cars will get the new software once it'll be ready and after that, they'll be shipped to their rightful owners. Problematic software pushed back the rollout of the Mk8 in the first place as the company had trouble tweaking some of the new features, including the over-the-air update functionality.

These unexpected obstacles corroborated with the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic will take their toll on the VW's finances this year just as the company was beginning to recover from the pricey Dieselgate aftermath.