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ŠKODA AUTO continues its global success story: in 2018 the carmaker set a new sales record for the fifth time in a row. Deliveries to customers rose by 4.4% last year to 1,253,700 vehicles. The company recorded sales growth in Europe (+4.9%) as well as in the growth markets of China (+4.9%) and Russia (+30.7%). The KODIAQ and KAROQ SUV models continue to be important drivers of growth and the ŠKODA OCTAVIA remains the brand’s bestseller.

With 341,000 deliveries to customers, China continues to be the brand’s most important single market. In Germany, Europe’s largest and ŠKODA’s second largest single market, the brand delivered 176,600 vehicles – a year-on-year increase of 1.9%. ŠKODA delivered 93,600 vehicles in its home country of the Czech Republic. The UK (74,500 vehicles), Poland (71,100), France (32,000), Spain (27,000), Italy (26,400) and Austria (24,900) round off ŠKODA’s top ten sales markets.

ŠKODA AUTO CEO Bernhard Maier pointed out, “In 2018, we delivered more vehicles than ever before. This result demonstrates that the ŠKODA 2025 Strategy is effective; our product campaign is unleashing its power around the world. ŠKODA is growing sustainably and manageably, despite the fact that 2018 presented numerous challenges for the entire industry, including the WLTP changeover. In 2019 we will continue our product campaign with several new models such as the SCALA and the KAMIQ. At the same time, we are launching eMobility at ŠKODA this year with our first plug-in hybrid and first all-electric car – a very special moment in our company’s 124-year history.”

ŠKODA enters the era of eMobility and takes on even more responsibility within the Group
The heart of the car manufacturer’s operations beats in the Czech Republic. The 886,100 vehicles that left the production lines at the Czech production sites in 2018 represent an increase of 3.3% compared to the previous year and thus a new production record. The Group’s decision to build the Volkswagen Passat family at the ŠKODA Kvasiny plant from 2023 – alongside the ŠKODA SUPERB and KODIAQ – is proof of Volkswagen Group’s confidence in the Czech production sites and their quality standards.

In 2019, ŠKODA is entering the era of eMobility. 124 years after the company was founded, ŠKODA is launching its first electrified production model – the SUPERB PHEV. The brand’s flagship with plug-in hybrid drive will roll off the production line in Kvasiny. ŠKODA is broadening its range in the same year to include an all-electric car – the e-CITIGO. The first production models based on the MEB modular electric car platform will follow in 2020, including the production version of the ŠKODA VISION iV concept study. By 2022, ŠKODA will have introduced over 30 new models, more than ten of which will be electric.

In addition to electric cars, the Mladá Boleslav plant will also be producing electric components for the plug-in hybrid models of several Volkswagen Group brands from 2019.

ŠKODA is consistently pursuing the company’s internationalisation and digitalisation
ŠKODA is pressing ahead with accessing new markets. Since last year, the brand has also been active in Singapore, meaning the company is now represented in 103 markets. ŠKODA employs more than 36,000 people worldwide. The car manufacturer’s internationalisation is one of the cornerstones of its 2025 Strategy.

Additional strategic areas of activity include eMobility, autonomous driving, connectivity and digitalisation. ŠKODA AUTO intends to increase its global vehicle sales by effectively implementing these topics. It will also open up new lines of business involving digital mobility services to broaden the basis for further growth.

The transformation of mobility and digital change are of greatest strategic importance. ŠKODA is working hard to digitalise its products and processes. This covers all areas of the company, from procurement to training, finance, staff recruitment and sales. The focus will also be on the Technical Development, Production and Logistics departments as well as, of course, the finished products for the end customer.

In Logistics and Production, the company is increasingly incorporating Industry 4.0 technologies, carrying out large field tests on fully autonomous drones that are monitoring load carriers at ŠKODA’s Czech plants. Robots are also working side by side with their human counterparts and intelligently facilitating their work. Using predictive maintenance, machines recognise their own needs for service or repair, thus reducing the risk of any damage or downtime. And when packaging Complete Knock Down (CKD) kits, augmented reality projections can show where and how to stack the parts on the load carrier.

Within the Group, ŠKODA is a pioneer in introducing the new MIB 3 modular infotainment matrix. For the brand’s customers, this means having access to the best connectivity solutions in their vehicles and benefitting from convenient over-the-air updates in all new ŠKODA models.

In cooperation with cities such as Prague, ŠKODA is committed to sustainable urban mobility concepts. The aim is to optimise the flow of traffic and intelligently link intermodal transport. This increases people’s safety and comfort whilst reducing the environmental impact.

ŠKODA AUTO DigiLab strengthens innovation and expertise in digital development
Alongside these initiatives, ŠKODA is developing a variety of mobility and vehicle-on-demand solutions. The private peer-to-peer car-sharing app HoppyGo, the student car-sharing platform Uniqway and the mobility solution for people requiring special assistance CareDriver were created at ŠKODA AUTO DigiLab. ŠKODA is currently testing a pioneering delivery solution for the ‘last mile’, where parcels are delivered directly to the boot of customers’ cars – digitally secured and with maximum convenience for the drivers.

ŠKODA AUTO DigiLab serves as an essential instrument and driver of many digital innovation processes. This creative workshop enhances the brand’s development expertise in the field of digitalisation. Working in tandem with the founding branch in Prague, ŠKODA AUTO DigiLab Israel Ltd was launched at the beginning of 2018 in the IT hotspot of Tel Aviv. Both labs are part of the start-up scene; they are agile and think outside the box to develop new business models, solutions and products for the mobility of the future.

The think tank in Tel Aviv has built up a strong network in the local start-up scene and is currently working with 13 of the most promising start-ups in the fields of artificial intelligence, big data, cybersecurity and vehicle sensors. In this way, ŠKODA is securing access to new technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence.

Three examples illustrate this strategic focus: Anagog specialises in developing and applying artificial intelligence in the context of mobility. The Israeli start-up uses software to analyse customer behaviour in certain situations, understand it and, for example, navigate motorists to the next available parking space. Chakratec is working on electric car charging stations with energy storage devices based on a flywheel concept that offers an almost unlimited number of deep charge and discharge cycles. This will enable charging stations to be installed in remote locations in the future. The founders of UVeye are working on technology in the form of a camera that scans the underbody of a vehicle to detect any damage – which is very useful, for example, in the Production and Quality Control departments.

ŠKODA is responsible for Volkswagen Group’s model campaign in India
In June 2018, ŠKODA took over management of the INDIA 2.0 project. In this role, ŠKODA is responsible for Volkswagen Group’s model campaign on the Indian market. Volkswagen Group is investing one billion euros in implementing the project, primarily between 2019 and 2021. The funds will mainly be invested in developing ŠKODA AUTO and Volkswagen vehicles tailored to the needs of customers on the subcontinent. The first of these models will be an SUV in the A0 segment that will be unveiled in 2020. The opening of the Technology Centre in Pune in January 2019 was the first major step in the implementation of the project. To ensure maximum market proximity, ŠKODA AUTO will localise 95% of its production, meaning that almost all vehicle components will be made in India.

Christian Strube, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Technical Development, said, “By opening the Technology Centre, we are underlining our determination to make the INDIA 2.0 project a success. India has excellent universities and highly qualified staff; this state-of-the-art facility will help us to unlock that huge potential – especially with regard to design and development. Local development is the key to success.”

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

In the mid-1920s, ŠKODA launched a generous investment initiative that enabled efficient mass production, including assembly line production and, as a result, an impressive model campaign. In April 1933, the ŠKODA 420 STANDARD, a direct response to the economic crisis, served as a pioneer of the new passenger car generation. Compared to its predecessor, the Š 422, it weighed around 250 kilograms less. At the same time, its four-cylinder four-stroke engine with a displacement of 995 cm3 and output of 14.7 kW (20 hp) took advantage of the tax benefits at the time. The price was 29,800 crowns (Kč).

ŠKODA developed the POPULAR on the back of the positive experience with the 420 STANDARD. The entry-level version – the Š 418 POPULAR – offered excellent handling, even on bad roads, thanks to its central tube frame, all-round independent suspension and precise rack-and-pinion steering. Also, the weight distribution was favourable because the transmission had been moved to the rear axle to form a transaxle system. The 902 cm3 four-cylinder engine produced 13 kW (18 hp) and consumed only seven litres per 100 km. The first prototype was made on 18 January 1934, followed another 19 units of the test series at the end of February.

On Tuesday, 6 March 1934, the first ŠKODA POPULAR changed hands: it was acquired by the internationally renowned shoe and tyre manufacturer Baťa from Zlín, which at the time was a supplier to ŠKODA. Company President Jan Antonín Baťa is said to have received the vehicle in person. One month later, on 9 April, Baťa ordered 30 more POPULARs – semi-convertibles and roadsters – from Ing. Karel Hrdlička, the automobile plant director. Given the positive experience with the modern and economical car, the company later bought several dozen additional copies of the ŠKODA POPULAR, which was available starting at 17,800 Kč, including a closed-top commercial vehicle body.

The ŠKODA POPULAR quickly grew in popularity among motorists. Celebrities were often seen behind the wheel, including actress Olga Scheinpflugová and the Czech national football team, who were the runners up in the 1934 World Championship with goalkeeper and captain František Plánička.

An impressive long-distance journey highlighted the virtues of the ŠKODA POPULAR, one of the most affordable automobiles on the market: four vehicles travelled from Prague by land to Calcutta, 11,000 km away in what was then British India; on the way home, the quartet passed through Bombay. In Trieste, the tour group left the steamboat and returned via Italy, Yugoslavia and Austria, returning to their homeland to complete the 15,000-kilometre trip.

The sharply rising production figures demonstrate how well received the POPULAR was among customers in Czechoslovakia and dozens of countries around the world; the production volume almost doubled between 1934 and 1935. From 1935 to 1939, almost 6,000 copies were exported – including to China for the first time in 1935, which began the trading relationship between ŠKODA AUTO and the Middle Kingdom. In 1936, thanks to the POPULAR series, the automaker shot to number one in the domestic vehicle market, a position that ŠKODA maintains to this day.

The POPULAR also enjoyed numerous successes on the international motorsport scene, including taking second place in the class up to 1,500 cm3 at the Monte Carlo Rally. ŠKODA took this triumph as an opportunity to release a special series – the coupé and roadster versions POPULAR MONTE CARLO appealed especially to more discerning customers.

Customers continued to show interest in ŠKODA’s smallest vehicle. As early as 1934, a more powerful engine with 995 cm3 and 14.7 kW (20 hp) went into series production, with further innovations including OHV valve control and safety glass windscreen following in the summer of 1937. A 1,089-cm3 four-cylinder with 22 kW (30 hp) debuted in the autumn of the same year. In 1938, the ŠKODA POPULAR 1100 OHV received hydraulic drum brakes, while the lower-priced POPULAR 995 ‘Liduška’ four-seater with a closed body and 16 kW (22 hp) was available from 17,300 Kč.

The POPULAR’s career was interrupted abruptly by the Second World War. Nevertheless, between 1934 and 1946, more than 21,000 units of the model series rolled off the production line, with around 250 units built after the war. The ŠKODA POPULAR 1101 served as a springboard for restarting production. This model was based on prototypes that had been designed in the summer of 1939. Its wheelbase was extended by 40 millimetres, with the gearbox moved back to the engine, forming a single unit with the clutch. The low consumption of 8.5 litres per 100 km remained unchanged despite the increase in power output to 23.5 kW (32 hp). Customers first learned of the modernised design in 1946 with the name ŠKODA 1101, but the model gained greater prominence under its nickname ‘Tudor’.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

The Leipzig Spring Fair opened its doors on Sunday, 1 March 1959. The new cars that ŠKODA presented at the exhibition were crowd pullers; alongside the OCTAVIA, the attractive ŠKODA FELICIA convertible appeared in front of an audience for the first time. Shortly after this world premiere, the open-top FELICIA also attracted international attention at the Geneva Motor Show from 12 to 22 March. From 4 April 1959, ŠKODA also presented three copies of the new convertible at the New York Coliseum; as the world’s largest automobile market, the USA had immense significance for all manufacturers. European convertibles, in particular, were import hits across the Atlantic, and ŠKODA offered a desirable new model with the open-top FELICIA.

The predecessor of the beautiful newcomer was the ŠKODA 450, which was also released as a convertible in 1957. The type designation was derived from the number of cylinders and the engine power – the ŠKODA 450 had a four-cylinder with 50 hp. Most of the 1,010 units that had been built prior to the 1959 model change found enthusiasts in demanding markets such as Britain and the United States.

The successor to the melodious name ‘FELICIA’ was produced at the Kvasiny factory and featured a number of significant technical innovations. Instead of the transversely mounted leaf spring that the 450 used, the newcomer’s front axle now utilised coil springs. Thanks to large rubber silent blocks, significantly fewer vibrations were transmitted through the central tube chassis to the all-metal body. Further, the now asymmetrically refined headlights lit up the road more effectively. In addition to the standard folding roof, ŠKODA even offered a 27-kilogram light fibreglass hardtop as an option for the FELICIA.

The basic version of the ŠKODA FELICIA weighed 930 kilograms and had a payload of 300 kilograms. Thus, the 2+2-seater could comfortably carry four people and up to 320 litres of luggage. With a wheelbase of 2,390 millimetres, the body stretched to 4,065 millimetres in length. Under the bonnet purred a four-cylinder in-line petrol engine with OHV valve control and a 1,089 cm3 displacement, which reached its peak output of 50 hp at 5,500 revolutions. The maximum torque of 74.5 Nm was available at 3,500 rpm. Rolling on 15-inch tyres, the convertible reached a top speed of 130 km/h; the average consumption was 9 litres per 100 km.

Thanks to its attractive proportions, the ŠKODA FELICIA was in great demand both at home and abroad. In the first year of production, 1959, almost 70% of the 3,251 units manufactured were exported. The chic convertible even attracted considerable attention at more exotic locations such as the auto shows in Mexico City and Johannesburg. Among the most famous foreign owners was one of the best hockey professionals of his time – the Canadian Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard (1921-2000), team captain of the Montreal Canadiens. As the first in the history of the NHL National Hockey League, the FELICIA driver scored 50 goals in 50 NHL games.

In March 1961, ŠKODA again presented a revised FELICIA in Geneva. In addition to a more distinctive grille, the drop-shaped taillight units were particularly eye-catching. Since the front seat backs could now fold down, the convertible even offered the possibility of lying down to sleep in the vehicle. The new control panel made of the fibreglass-reinforced plastic Polytex received a cover made of black artificial leather. In the fibreglass hardtop, openable side windows improved the air supply to the interior. One particularly sporty feature of the new generation was that FELICIA drivers could change gears faster and more precisely thanks to the repositioning of the gearstick from the steering column to the centre tunnel. With the higher-quality 70-octane petrol available in most countries, the 1.1-litre engine’s output increased by 2 hp.

The following year, in 1962, the more powerful FELICIA SUPER appeared with a 1.221 cm3 four-cylinder, which supplied two downdraught carburettors made by the Czechoslovak brand Jikov with a combustible fuel mix. Thanks to these and other technical improvements, customers now enjoyed 55 hp (40.5 kW) at 5,100 rpm and 82 Nm at 3,000 rpm. These performance characteristics meant the FELICIA SUPER – weighing only ten kilograms more than the basic model – reached a top speed of 135 km/h on wider tyres measuring 5.90-15.

The popular ŠKODA FELICIA model family was produced at the same time and on the same line in Kvasiny as the equally successful OCTAVIA COMBI. By 1964, 14,863 FELICIA and FELICIA SUPER vehicles had been produced at the site before the era of ŠKODAs with an open body, central tube frame and the classic front-engine rear-wheel-drive concept came to an end. ŠKODA was preparing for the production of the completely redesigned rear-engine generation, which started that same year with the 1000 MB.

Sixty years after the world premiere, the ŠKODA FELICIA still enjoys great popularity today. On the one hand, this is reflected in the growing interest of classic car collectors and rising market prices of well-preserved specimens. On the other hand, FELICIA drivers at classic car events experience the great affection that this model awakens among classic fans from Western Europe to China.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com