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Škoda Auto
Private company
Industry Automotive
Founded 1895 as Laurin & Klement
Founder Václav Laurin and Václav Klement
Headquarters
Mladá Boleslav
,
Czech Republic
Number of locations
 Factories in China, Czech Republic, India, Kazakhstan, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine
Area served
 Europe, Asia, South America, Australasia
Key people
 Bernhard Mayer (Chairman of the Board of Directors), Dr Herbert Diees (Chairman of the Supervisory Board)
Products Automobiles
Production output
 Increase875,000 units (2011)
Services Automotive financial services
Revenue Increase € 16.559 billion (2017)
Operating income
 Increase € 1.611 billion (2017)
Increase € 1.274 billion (2017)
Total assets Increase CZK 228.180 billion (2016)
Increase (US$ 8.89 billion)
Total equity Increase CZK 137.580 billion (2016)
Increase (US$ 5.36 billion)
Parent Volkswagen Group
Subsidiaries
  • Škoda Auto Deutschland
  • Škoda Auto India
  • Škoda Auto Polska
  • Škoda Auto Slovakia

Škoda Auto, better known as Škoda, is an automobile maker. It is based in the Czech Republic. Škoda was bought by the Volkswagen Group in 2000. Its total sales reached 684,226 cars in 2009 and 85,000 for the month of March 2011.

History

2009 Skoda Superb Elegance CRTDi Automatic 2.0 Front
Škoda Auto is one of the largest car makers in Central Europe. In 2010, 762,500 cars were sold worldwide. This was a record for the company.

Škoda Works was started as a firearms maker in 1859.

Škoda Auto goes back to the early 1890s as a company which started out making bicycles. In 1894, 26-year old Václav Klement (a bookseller in Mladá Boleslav) could not find any spare parts to fix his bicycle. Klement returned his bicycle to the makers, Seidel and Naumann, with a letter. It was written in Czech. The letter asked the company to repair the bicycle. When Klement got his reply, it was in German. It said (in English): "If you would like an answer to your inquiry, you should try writing in a language we can understand". Klement was very unhappy at this. Even though he did not have any experience, he decided to start a bicycle repair shop. He and Václav Laurin opened this in 1895 in Mladá Boleslav. Before working with Klement, Laurin was a bicycle maker in the town of Turnov. Turnov was near to Mladá Boleslav. In 1898, after moving to their newly-built factory, the pair bought a Werner "motorcyclist". It was made by French manufacturer Werner Brothers. Laurin & Klement's first motorcyclette was powered by an engine on the handlebars. It drove the front wheels. It was dangerous and unreliable. Laurin had an accident on it, and lost one of his front teeth. To design a safer motorcycle, the pair wrote to German specialist Robert Bosch for advice. The pair's new motorcycle went on sale in 1899.

In 1900, when the company had 32 people working for them, motorcycles began being exported. 150 machines were shipped to London. Shortly after, the press said that they were the makers of the first motorcycle. The first model, Voiturette A, was a success. The company was set up both within Austria-Hungary and all over the world. By 1905 the company was making automobiles.

Škoda Popular Special at the Sportauto Museum, Lány 3
The back of a Škoda Popular Special on display at the Sportauto Museum, Lány, Kladno District, Czech Republic

After World War I, the Laurin-Klement company began making trucks. However, in 1924, the company looked for a partner after running into problems. It was bought by Škoda Works, a firearms maker. Most things made later were under the Škoda name. Škoda was successful again after an economic depression. The Popular in the late 1930s is an example of a popular car.

During World War II, when Nazi Germany had invaded Czechoslovakia, the Škoda works was turned into part of Reichswerke Hermann Göring. It helped the German war effort.

Car models

This table shows the Škoda car models still being made.

Citigo Skoda Citigo 1.0 Ambition – Frontansicht, 17. März 2012, Düsseldorf.jpg October 2011
Fabia Skoda Fabia MTP07.jpg 2007 (2nd generation)
Rapid November 2011
Octavia Škoda Octavia Combi III a (cropped).JPG 2012 (3rd generation)
Superb Skoda Superb II Combi 01.jpg 2008 (2nd generation)
Roomster Skoda Roomster 4354.JPG 2006
Yeti Skoda Yeti 000 since 2009 frontright 2010-02-21 A.jpg 2009

Concept cars

  • MissionL (2011)
  • Vision D (2011)
  • Fabia Super (2007)
  • Joyster (2006)
  • Yeti II (2006)
  • Roomster (2003)
  • Tudor (2002)
  • Fabia Paris Edition (2002)
  • Ahoj (2002)
  • Felicia Golden Prague (1998)
  • 783 Favorit Coupé (1987)
  • Škoda 110 Super Sport Ferat (1971)
  • Škoda 1100 GT (1968)
  • Škoda F3 (1964)
  • Škoda 1100 Type 968 (1958)
  • Škoda 973 Babeta (1949)

Gallery

  • Škoda Museum - Škoda 973 Babeta

    Škoda 973 Babeta

  • Skoda1100Type968

    Škoda 1100 Type 968

  • Skoda-museum-mlada-boleslav-rr-118

    Škoda F3

  • Skoda1100gt

    Škoda 1100 GT

  • Škoda Ferat in Škoda Museum

    Škoda 110 Super Sport (Ferat)

  • Škoda Joyster

    Škoda Joyster

  • Skoda MissionL (front quarter)

    Škoda MissionL

  • 13-04-05-Skoda Museum Mladá Boleslav by RalfR-233

    Logo Škoda Auto 2013

  • 13-04-05-Skoda Museum Mladá Boleslav by RalfR-035

    Laurin & Klement (1890)

  • 12-01-11-autostadt-wolfsburg-by-RalfR-301

    Laurin & Klement A (1898)

  • 13-04-05-Skoda Museum Mladá Boleslav by RalfR-008

    Škoda 422 (1930)

  • 13-04-05-Skoda Museum Mladá Boleslav by RalfR-122

    Škoda Octavia Super (1960)

  • 13-04-05-Skoda Museum Mladá Boleslav by RalfR-121

    Škoda MB 1000 (1966)

  • 13-04-05-Skoda Museum Mladá Boleslav by RalfR-001

    Škoda 136 LR (1984)

  • 13-04-05-Skoda Museum Mladá Boleslav by RalfR-002

    Škoda Fabia Super 2000

  • 13-04-05-Skoda Museum Mladá Boleslav by RalfR-206

    Škoda Vision D (2011)

Images for kids

  • Laurin & Klement founders 1895

    Founders Václav Klement (left) and Václav Laurin (1895)

  • Old Škoda Prague2

    Škoda 422 (1929)

  • Škoda Tudor Cabrio 938, 2013 Oldtimer Bohemia Rally 38

    Škoda 1101 Tudor Roadster (1949)

  • Skoda Favorit Utrecht 1989

    1980s Škoda Favorit

  • Skoda Felicia outside Robinson

    The Škoda Felicia from 1994 was the first new model after takeover by Volkswagen Group.

  • Skoda Octavia Combi RS (III) – Frontansicht, 20. Juni 2014, Düsseldorf

    The Octavia is the bestselling Škoda.

  • Škoda Auto Mladá Boleslav

    Škoda Auto plant in Mladá Boleslav

  • Skoda Vorstand Genf 2018

    Part of the board of directors at the Geneva Motor Show with Škoda Vision X (2018): from left Christian Strube, Klaus-Dieter Schürmann, Alain Favey, Bernhard Maier, Michael Oeljeklaus and Dieter Seemann

  • 2021 Skoda Enyaq - Arctic Silver Metallic (2)

    The fully electric Škoda Enyaq iV has been produced since November 2020, and six fully electric models are to be available by 2025.

  • Skoda Auto prodej svet

    Worldwide sales of Škoda cars

  • 2014 Škoda Museum, Škoda Supersport typ 966 1950 01

    Škoda 966 Supersport (1950) in Škoda Museum

  • Škoda Motorsport (18060783156)

    With Škoda Fabia R5, Škoda Motorsport team won the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 World Rally Championship-2, which focuses on production-based cars.

  • Škoda Enyaq - open doors

    Škoda Enyaq (since 2020)

  • 2018 Skoda Kodiaq Scout TDi SCR 4X4 2.0 Front

    Škoda Kodiaq (since 2016)

  • 2018 Skoda Karoq SE L TDi S-A 1.6 Front

    Škoda Karoq (since 2017)

  • Skoda Kamiq Genf 2019 1Y7A5907

    Škoda Kamiq (since 2019)

  • 2021 Škoda Kushaq (India) front view

    Škoda Kushaq (since 2021)

  • 2018 Skoda Superb SE L Executive TSi 1.4

    Škoda Superb III (since 2015)

  • Skoda Octavia IV Combi IMG 2617

    Škoda Octavia IV (since 2019)

  • 2021 Škoda Slavia 1.5 TSI Style (India) front view

    Škoda Slavia (since 2022)

  • 2014 Skoda Rapid SE Connect TSi 1.2 Front

    Škoda Rapid (since 2012)

  • Skoda Scala IMG 2462

    Škoda Scala (since 2019)

  • Skoda Fabia IV IMG 5307

    Škoda Fabia IV (since 2021)

  • Skoda logo

    Škoda logo 1933-1985

  • Skoda (6249949722)

    Škoda logo 1986-1990

  • Skoda Auto Logo from 1991

    Škoda logo 1991-2010

  • Skoda -1200x1200

    Škoda logo 2016-present

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Škoda para niños

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