Tuesday, January 31, 2012

ŠKODA Celebrates: 14 Million Vehicles Produced


  Jubilee car a Superb of the ‘Laurin & Klement’ special edition

  Impressive growth course of the ŠKODA brand

  Production and sales to grow significantly until 2018

  Model offensive and further capacity expansion in international markets under way

Mladá Boleslav/Kvasiny, January 30, 2012 – ŠKODA has produced its 14-millionth car: The jubilee vehicle – a Superb 2.0 TDI of the ‘Laurin & Klement’ special edition – rolled off the assembly line at the Czech plant at Kvasiny today. The vehicle painted in the color ‘magnetic brown metallic’ is designated for delivery to a German customer. The production jubilee is another milestone for the sustained growth of the automobile manufacturer. Until 2018, ŠKODA wants to increase its worldwide sales to at least 1.5 million units per year. With a total of 879,200 units in 2011, the company sold more cars then ever in its 117-year history.

Monday, January 30, 2012

World Debut For Five-Door ŠKODA Citigo


     › Exhibition debut at 2012 Geneva Motor Show 
     › Hands-on preview for journalists in February  2012
     › Model line extended into new market segments
     ›  ŠKODA model offensive is defining element in manufacturer’s Growth Strategy
Mladá Boleslav, January 30th, 2012 – ŠKODA will present the new Citigo subcompact to the public as a five-door version for the first time at the Geneva Auto Salon in early 2012. Media representatives will be offered a preview of the new ŠKODA including test drives in February 2012. The five-door version will be successively launched in European markets together with the three-door version from mid-May 2012.

Juho Hänninen To Be The Main Attraction At The Racingshow


  SWRC champion Juho Hänninen to appear at Austria's largest motorsport trade fair
  The event programme includes a public discussion with fans and experts
Mladá Boleslav, 27 January, 2012 – Reigning SWRC World Champion Juho Hänninen of ŠKODA Motorsport (factory team) will be the main star at the Racingshow, a major motorsport trade fair to take place in Vienna, Austria over the upcoming weekend. The event programme includes a public discussion on rallying for fans and experts from Austria and the Czech Republic. ŠKODA will showcase its successful Fabia Super 2000.

ŠKODA Superb Wins ‘2012 Best Car’ Reader Poll


  Readers elect ŠKODA Superb number one in import champions’ middle class category

  ŠKODA flagship defends previous year’s title

  Fabia, Roomster and Octavia also achieve podium results

Weiterstadt/Mladá Boleslav, January 26th, 2012 – No less than four ŠKODA-models made it onto the podium this year at auto motor und sport (ams), Germany’s renowned car magazine’s ‘Die Besten Autos 2012’ reader poll. The ŠKODA Superb came tops in readers’ votes. However, bestseller the ŠKODA Octavia, ŠKODA Roomster and ŠKODA Fabia each achieved second place among the imports in the compacts, vans and subcompacts categories, respectively.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

ŠKODA Ever More Attractive As An Employer


  NEW RECORD: MORE THAN 1,650 NEW JOBS CREATED IN 2011
 PERMANENT STAFF: 25,800 EMPLOYEES FROM 37 NATIONS WORKING AT ŠKODA AS PER DECEMBER 31ST, 2011
  OVER 21,000 APPLICATIONS RECEIVED DURING THE PAST YEAR
  HUMAN RESOURCES AN IMPORTANT PILLAR OF THE ŠKODA GROWTH STRATEGY

Mladá Boleslav, January 25th, 2012 – ŠKODA is becoming ever more attractive as an employer and continues to bet on the growth of its staff. In 2011, the total headcount of permanent staff grew eight percent to 25,800 employees – a record. With this development, the composition of the personnel is becoming more international: At the current time, people from 37 nations work for the Czech automobile manufacturer.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

ŠKODA In Qatar: The Model Initiative Continues

   ŠKODA MissionL displayed outside Europe forthe first time
   Study shows design of new compact saloon and brand itself
   ŠKODA model offensive continues
  Sales record in 2011: 879,200 cars delivered, an increase of 15.3 percent
   International presence set to strengthen further
   Compact saloon will be also available in Qatar

Mladá Boleslav, January 23rd, 2012 – Czech car maker ŠKODA’s appearance at the 2012 Qatar Motor Show is framed by the brand’s international growth strategy. MissionL, a close-to-series-study, ŠKODA provides the State’s audience with a detailed preview of its new compact saloon. At the same time, the concept car is an ambassador of the new ŠKODA design and on display outside Europe for the first time.

Friday, January 20, 2012

ŠKODA Motorsport's Jan Kopecký Wins Golden Steering Wheel


  IRC Vice-Champion has won this prestigious award
  Fifth Golden Steering Wheel for Kopecký in total
  Petr Starý selected as the best co-driver
  Long-established survey among Czech motoring journalists and experts
Mladá Boleslav, 19 January, 2012  Jan Kopecký of ŠKODA Motorsport (factory team) has won the Rally category of the 2011 Golden Steering Wheel, a long-established survey among Czech motoring journalists and experts. After winning this award for four consecutive years, Kopecký has now won his fifth Golden Wheel. Petr Starý, Kopecký's co-driver, has been also been selected as best co-driver.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

ŠKODA opens three additional training centers


  New centers for logistics, car body construction and the paint shop at the Kvasiny plant

  Thirteen ŠKODA training centers operating in four plants worldwide

  Manufacturer continues to invest in the know-how of the production team

  About 6,000 employees trained in 2011

Kvasiny, January 12th, 2011 – ŠKODA has commissioned three new training centers for the areas of logistics, car body construction and the paint shop at the plant in Kvasiny. Thus, the manufacturer has a total of thirteen such facilities for educating and training the production teams in its plant.

The investments are an important measure within the framework of the ŠKODA Growth Strategy. The manufacturer wants to increase its worldwide sales to at least 1.5 million units per year, until the year 2018, and is also enhancing the production capacities in its plants in this context.

ŠKODA Initiates Practical Testing Of Octavia Green E Line


 ›  Fleet of ten E-Octavia in road tests around Mladà Boleslav

 ›  ŠKODA’s first purely electric vehicle

 ›  Technological expertise in cooperation Volkswagen Group

 ›  ŠKODA’s existing model line excels in fuel economy

Mladá Boleslav, January 11th, 2012 – ŠKODA has begun testing elecric traction in everyday operation with a fleet of ten electrically powered Octavia Green E Line The Octavia Green E Line is the Czech’s carmaker’s first purely electric vehicle. The aim of the test is to gain practical experience with electric propulsion.

ŠKODA Goes From Strength To Strength


  2011 worldwide sales up by 15.3% to 879,200 vehicles

  Deliveries advance in all regions and for all model lines

  Increased market share in all sales regions – World market share: 1.4%

  Production capacity expanding to accommodate further growth

  New Citigo and Rapid off to promising start

Mladá Boleslav, 10 January 2012 – ŠKODA continued on its successful course, achieving a new sales record in FY 2011. The brand’s sales increased by 15.3% to a new all-time high of 879,200 vehicles. Deliveries to customers rose by around 116,000 units in 2011, translating into a rise of more than 1.4% in world market share (2010: close to 1.3%).

Monday, January 9, 2012

Jänner Rally Dominated By ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000s


  Jänner Rally final standings: 1. Kopecký, 2. Hänninen +40.1
  Kopecký & Dresler of ŠKODA Motorsport won the opening event of the European and Czech Championships
  The rally was a dramatic spectacle in rough winter conditions
Freistadt, 7. ledna 2012 – Taking place in the surroundings of the Austrian town of Freistadt, the opening event of the European and Czech Championships, the Jänner Rally, has been dominated by ŠKODA Motorsport and Fabia Super 2000s.  After a dramatic spectacle, Jan Kopecký Pavel Dresler of ŠKODA Motorsport won and their teammates Juho Hänninen Mikko Markkula came second. In addition to the factory team's success, Raimund Baumschlager in a private Fabia Super 2000 finished fourth, only 0.2 sec behind third-placed Beppo Harrach. The event offered rough winter conditions, i.e. heavy snowfalls and an ice-covered track.

Hänninen In The Lead Of The Jänner Rally After A Fantastic Chase Ride


  Standings after Day 1: 1. Hänninen, 2. Baumschlager +13.0, 3. Kopecký +34.0 (all in ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000s)
  Fantastic chase ride by both ŠKODA Motorsport's factory drivers
  The opening event of the European, Czech and Austrian Championships offered typical winter conditions
Freistadt, 6 January, 2012 – In typical winter conditions, the opening event of the 2012 season, the Jänner Rally in Austria, offered a thrilling spectacle today, with ŠKODA Motorsport's factory drivers Juho Hänninen and Jan Kopecký starring in the main roles. Juho and Jan struggled hard with difficult conditions in the opening section and suffered considerable losses on the snow-covered roads, but then they both showed a breath-taking finish to move up the standings – Juho Hänninen & Mikko Markkula are in the lead and Jan Kopecký & Pavel Dresler are third before Saturday's final leg.

ŠKODA’s Strategy: Focussed On India


   Sales increase by 15 percent to around 875,000 cars in 2011
   Indian sales up 50 percent to 30,005 units in 2011
   New Rapid saloon to open up largest segment in Indian market for brand
   ŠKODA marks ten years of success in India
New Delhi/Mladá Boleslav, January 5th, 2012 – ŠKODA is determined to continue strong growth worldwide and to improve its favourable position in India, officials of the Czech company said at New Delhi AUTO EXPO 2012.

Record Year For ŠKODA


  Sales increase by 15 percent to around 875,000 cars in 2011

  First year of growth strategy a resounding success

  Ramp-up of capacities ahead for further growth

  New Citigo and Rapid models make promising starts

  Most successful year in motorsport in company’s history

New Delhi/Mladá Boleslav, January 5th, 2012 – ŠKODA continued on its growth path in 2011 and set another sales record. The brand’s sales increased based on preliminary figures by 15 percent to attain a new all-time high of around 875,000 cars compared to 762,600 vehicles in 2010. At the same time, the manufacturer successfully introduced the new Citigo and Rapid as the first cars under its model offensive.

ŠKODA Motorsport To Enter The 2012 Season At The Jänner Rally


  Both ŠKODA Motorsport's factory crews, Hänninen/Markkula and Kopecký/Dresler, to appear in the season's opening event 
  The Jänner Rally is part of the European, Czech and Austrian championships
  ŠKODA's ambition is to fight for top ranks also in the new season
Mladá Boleslav, 4 January, 2012 – Ready to field both of its factory crews, the ŠKODA Motorsport team is entering the 2012 season at the Jänner Rally to take place in Austria over the first weekend of January. After the most successful season in its history, ŠKODA Motorsport wants to fight for the top ranks also in this season, and will focus on three series in total. While the priority is to repeat Škoda's last year's victory in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), the team is also going to appear in selected events of the European and Czech championships.