Police fleet manager Inspector Brian Yanko said an extensive procurement process was undertaken after General Motors left the Australasian market in 2020.
The first Skoda police cars were introduced to front line service in April 2021, he said.
However, it had not been entirely smooth sailing.
"When you introduce a brand or model into police service, you try and get it as close as you can to being the right sort of vehicle, but it’s very hard to land it on day one," Insp Yanko said.
When more cars were being used, items which needed to be tweaked and changed became more apparent.
As well as the latest issue with flat batteries, there were earlier problems with Skoda engine sumps being damaged when the cars hit objects, or drove over curbs and rocks.
The issue did not indicate anything wrong with the car but reflected the environment it was being used in.
"These sort of things that arise are quite normal ... What’s important for me as fleet manager is how the brand responds," Insp Yanko said.
As a quick fix, Skoda NZ had supplied a metal sump cover.
For a longer-term solution, testing was undertaken by the parent company in Europe, Skoda Auto, and extra under-engine protection was added on the production line from August 2022.
Tweaks had also been made to the suspension, wheels, alternator and battery.
"Although we’re a very small market to Skoda, we actually have a lot of reach back into the factory," Insp Yanko said.
Feedback about vehicle batteries going flat had also been received, especially from rural areas where vehicles could be parked up for long periods.
Old vehicle systems used by police had used dual batteries and since police had moved away from that significant efforts had been made to improve the efficiency of electrical systems — such as using LED rather than incandescent emergency lights.
As part of the process of continuous improvement, other options were being investigated to reduce the battery draw. Some vehicles would have to be upgraded to two battery systems, but that would be expensive if applied to 3700 vehicles.
"You obviously look at ways to spend the tax dollar a lot more wisely," Insp Yanko said.
Skoda New Zealand general manager Rodney Gillard said what had started as a supply opportunity had turned into a partnership which was constantly evolving.
There were 14,013 Skoda first response police vehicles in use in Europe and Skoda Auto took the New Zealand account seriously, as a long-term investment.
Skoda New Zealand worked with police and Skoda Auto to make changes where possible.
It was the job of Skoda NZ to make sure there was no downtime and any damaged police cars were back on the road as soon as possible, he said.
