30 godina pod kapom Volkswagena.
On the 28th of the month, Skoda will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its membership in the VW Group . Skoda now accounts for 5% of the Czech Republic's gross domestic product and 9% of the country's exports, with 10 models in its range, with Skoda playing a leading role for the Group in major markets such as India and Russia. and North Africa.
The first contacts between Skoda and the Volkswagen Group date back to the 1970s. Initially there was an informal collaboration between the two companies, which involved the production of the Skoda Favorit, a front-wheel drive hatchback that Skoda had developed internally, making the model a notable exception in the Eastern Bloc.
Following the collapse of the communist regime in November 1989, positive impressions of the Skoda Favorit production partnership led to extensive talks between Wolfsburg and Mlada Boleslav, and negotiations soon became dynamic. Skoda's goal was to work with a larger strategic partner, which would lead to extroversion and growth in new markets, a unique prospect for the company's survival in the new competitive environment.
Initially, 24 companies were considered potential partners, before the summer of 1990 talks were held with eight, led by then-Prime Minister Petr Pithart. Four bids were submitted and the final choice was made between the Renault / Volvo alliance and the Volkswagen Group, with the latter prevailing as it highlighted the future development of Skoda.
On March 28, 1991, Jan Vrba, Minister of Industry of the Czech Republic and Carl H. Hahn, Chairman of the Board of Volkswagen Group, signed an agreement to establish a joint venture Skoda. The Volkswagen Group received 31% of the shares of Skoda paying 620 million marks. It then gradually increased its stake to 100% of the shares on 30 May 2000.
In the years that followed, Skoda grew rapidly. From 17,000 employees in 1991, the company now employs 42,000 people while several hundred billion Czech crowns were invested in research, development and expansion of the brand's capacity. Skoda paid special attention to education, with its own vocational school to prepare staff for a career in the company, while it also founded the "Skoda Auto University of Applied Sciences".
The first model Skoda developed under the umbrella of the Volkswagen Group was the first generation of the new Octavia, which debuted in September 1996, to become the brand's best-seller in the following years. This was followed by the Skoda Fabia, in the fall of 1999, which will soon welcome its brand new fourth generation, the Superb in 2001, which is now available as a Superb iV with a plug-in hybrid drive system. In September 2016, Skoda introduced the Kodiaq, marking its entry into SUVs, followed by the Karoq and Kamiq, while in a few weeks the Enyaq iV, the brand's first electric SUV, will be launched in Greece.
Skoda will invest 2.4 billion euros by 2025, while in May it will present the new Fabia, which from 2023 will be offered in Combi version. In 2021, the Coupe version of the Enyaq iV will be presented, as well as the facelift versions of the Kodiaq and Karoq.