Czech Skoda wins police car tender with $68 mln bid

PRAGUE, May 15 (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG's (VOWG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Czech unit Skoda Auto won a tender on Thursday to deliver up to 3,500 cars for Czech police with a lowest bid of 1.1 billion crowns ($68 million), police said. Police want to buy between 2,800 and 3,500 new vehicles by 2011. The contract might be concluded in July, police said in a statement.

Local media have reported Skoda's German parent came in with the next best offer of 1.4 billion crowns, while France's Renault (RENA.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) was third with a 2.0 billion bid.

Skoda, the biggest Czech company by sales and exports, aims to raise sales to 700,000 cars this year from 630,000 last year.

(Reporting by Martin Dokoupil; editing by Rory Channing)