Mr Maier succeeds Dr Winfried Vahland who had been Skoda's CEO since 2010 and was appointed to a new post as head of Volkswagen’s North America operations at the end of September but announced his resignation for personal reasons just three weeks later.

Mr Maier said: “I am proud to work for this large, traditional and well-respected company. I am pleased to be joining a great team. This company is an outstanding representative of the importance of the Czech Republic and Bohemia as one of the cradles of European automobile manufacturing. The people from this region have an excellent reputation around the world for their craftsmanship and engineering skills.

“Skoda has grown impressively over recent years with a remarkable number of new vehicle launches. The company has a stable base for further successful development. It is my great task to take the brand forward alongside a highly dedicated team. We plan to continue on this road to success and expand Skoda’s market position and brand strength with new models.”

Mr Maier graduated as a master mechanic in 1984 and subsequently studied business administration in Calw. After spending two years in positions at computer manufacturer Nixdorf and Wallhäuser, the equipment company, he returned to the automotive industry in 1988. Mr Maier assumed several managerial positions at BMW in Germany and abroad over the following years. In June 2001, he joined Porsche where he led the business operations of Porsche Deutschland. From 2010, Bernhard Maier was the board member for sales and marketing of Porsche AG in Stuttgart.