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The ŠKODA ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV has won the prestigious Golden Steering Wheel 2022. Readers of the German automotive trade magazine ‘Auto Bild’ and the newspaper ‘Bild am Sonntag’ initially voted the ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV into the final three in the ‘mid-size SUV’ category before a panel of experts put the model through its paces at the Lausitzring. This year’s trophy is now the eighth Golden Steering Wheel ŠKODA AUTO has won. ŠKODA AUTO CEO Klaus Zellmer accepted the award yesterday at the gala in Berlin.

“Many thanks to all the experts and readers who voted for us. And of course to the many Škodians who were involved in creating this great vehicle! The award means a lot to all of us. The ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV fought off strong competition from both internal combustion engine and electric drive systems in this contest. This is the eighth Golden Steering Wheel for ŠKODA, and it shows that we build very attractive cars for our customers – regardless of the drive system. And we will continue to do so with great passion in the future.”

Klaus Zellmer, ŠKODA AUTO CEO

ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV holds its own against electric cars and ICE models
47 automotive innovations introduced over the last twelve months faced off in one of eleven categories for the Golden Steering Wheel 2022. This time, the organisers did not differentiate between cars with combustion engines and electric motors. The ‘mid-size SUV’ category included nine vehicles, six of which had electric drives. As one of the three favourites in its category in the readers’ poll, the ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV was put to the test by a 19-strong panel of experts, comprising journalists, presenters and well-known racing drivers in comprehensive test drives at the Lausitzring. The judges included motorsport legend Hans-Joachim Stuck, the former Formula 1 driver and Le Mans winner, former Formula E driver Daniel Abt as well as Maximilian Götz, the 2021 DTM champion. They evaluated criteria such as handling, all-round visibility and spaciousness. The ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV boasts all-wheel drive and two electric motors and is ŠKODA’s most powerful current production model with a system output of 220 kW. It won over the panel with the most coherent overall package among all the mid-size SUVs.

Sporty coupé rounds off the upper end of the ENYAQ series
As the first all-electric member of the sporty ŠKODA RS family, the ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV complements the successfully launched ENYAQ iV electric SUV. With its gently sloping roofline from the B-pillar onwards, the ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV offers generous space in the back and a boot capacity of 570 litres. The excellent drag coefficient of cw 0.248 contributes to the model’s impressive range of over 500 kilometres in the WLTP cycle.

ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV wins eighth Golden Steering Wheel for ŠKODA
The first Golden Steering Wheel was presented by ‘Bild am Sonntag’ in 1976. Since 2009, the German Sunday newspaper has awarded the prize in collaboration with ‘Auto Bild’, Europe’s largest automotive magazine. The success of the ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV this year marks ŠKODA AUTO’s eighth win in the renowned automotive competition. The Czech car manufacturer’s first Golden Steering Wheel went to the first-generation FABIA in 1999, with its successor repeating the feat in 2007. The second-generation OCTAVIA won in 2004, while the second-generation SUPERB took the prize in 2008. In 2017, the KAROQ left the competition behind, and the KAMIQ secured the coveted award in 2019. Last year, the Golden Steering Wheel went to the ENYAQ iV.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

Ensuring the maximum possible safety of its vehicles is a top priority for ŠKODA AUTO and is also a long-standing tradition: A ŠKODA 100 L was the first documented vehicle to undergo crash testing 50 years ago in Prague-Ruzyně in what was then Czechoslovakia. Today, ŠKODA operates a state-of-the-art crash test facility at its Úhelnice-based Polygon Test Centre, which was comprehensively expanded in 2020 and even won the Crash Laboratory of the Year 2020 from the Automotive Testing Technology International trade journal. The results from the Euro NCAP reference test and the Global NCAP test for crash safety attest to the Czech car manufacturer’s impressive track record; all 15 new ŠKODA models introduced since 2008 have achieved the highest five-star rating. In 2021, the current FABIA and ENYAQ iV were named the safest vehicles in their respective classes.

„At ŠKODA, we use all our expertise in technical development to consistently improve the active and passive safety of our vehicles. Even our entry-level models offer numerous assistance systems that are usually only available in vehicles from higher vehicle classes. At the same time, our state-of-the-art crash laboratory Polygon Úhelnice provides the ideal setting to thoroughly test the safety of our models. This allows us to incorporate our findings into vehicle development at a very early stage. Achieving the highest score of five stars in the NCAP reference test and the Global NCAP test for crash safety for all 15 ŠKODA model series tested since 2008 is an outstanding success.”

Johannes Neft, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Technical Development

Steadfast commitment to optimal active and passive safety

ŠKODA has once again expanded its state-of-the-art crash lab at the Polygon Úhelnice Test Centre near Mladá Boleslav to ensure the best possible test conditions. However, crash tests have been conducted in what is now the Czech Republic for 50 years; following the first documented test in May 1972 on a ŠKODA 100 L, crash tests were subsequently designed by specialised staff.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

Transmission production was launched at the ŠKODA AUTO plant in Vrchlabí ten years ago. The DQ200 dual-clutch transmissions produced there are used in the Czech carmaker’s models as well as in vehicles built by other Volkswagen Group brands. ŠKODA AUTO makes extensive use of Industry 4.0 technologies at the site, which has been operating with net-zero CO2 emissions since the end of 2020.

“Today is a very special day for the Vrchlabí plant. Since the first transmission rolled off the production line here ten years ago, we have achieved a lot together and transformed this site into a strategic cornerstone of component production at ŠKODA AUTO: The milestones include CO₂-neutral production since the end of 2020 and the plant’s leading position in the field of Industry 4.0. I congratulate the entire team on these remarkable successes!”

Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Production and Logistics

“Our modern DQ200 dual-clutch transmissions can be found in millions of vehicles produced by various Group brands, reliably doing their job. They are manufactured at one of the most advanced high-tech production facilities in the country. The component plant in Vrchlabí is also among the most important industrial employers in the region.”

Ivan Slimák, Head of Transmission Production at the Vrchlabí site

ŠKODA AUTO site since 1946, state-of-the-art component plant since 2012
The Vrchlabí plant was founded back in 1864 and has been a ŠKODA AUTO site since 1946. The company initially manufactured cars here before the production facility was converted into a cutting-edge component plant, with a new factory hall being built within 18 months as part of the site’s radical transformation. ŠKODA AUTO and the Volkswagen Group invested around 170 million euros in this project. ŠKODA AUTO has been producing DQ200 transmissions here since October 2012. At first, around 530 employees would produce 1,000 units a day; now 2,340 transmissions are assembled daily by 850 staff. The majority of these transmissions are used in vehicles from other Group brands, while around 38% are installed in ŠKODA cars.

Extensive use of Industry 4.0 technologies
Since the site’s conversion was successfully completed, over 200 million euros have been invested in various initiatives and the plant’s further development; processes and operations have been widely digitalised and use technologies from the field of Industry 4.0. Cooperating robots assist with inserting the transmission piston and a smart handling robot removes parts from containers and places them on the feed belt of the processing machine. It then removes the machined transmission parts and places them in a transport basket. In addition, the work steps and processes required to set up robot workstations were digitally simulated in advance so that operations could continue while the robots were being set up and integrated.

ŠKODA AUTO’s first site worldwide to be CO₂-neutral since the end of 2020
Since late 2020, the Vrchlabí plant has been ŠKODA AUTO’s first CO₂-neutral production site in the world. State-of-the-art machines ensure optimum energy efficiency at the site, with some cooling lubricants being reused several times and lithium batteries installed in transport systems.

ŠKODA AUTO is fully committed to the region where plant operates
As one of the most important employers in the Hradec Králové region, the Czech car manufacturer takes its social responsibility seriously and is actively involved across the region. Among other programmes, the company supplies bicycles to the Krkonoše National Park (KRNAP) and provides vehicles for social services. The car manufacturer also gives financial support within the framework of its endowment fund.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

ŠKODA AUTO is expanding its RS family to include another all-electric model – the ENYAQ RS iV. Just like the ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV, the Czech carmaker has opted for two motors with a total system output of 220 kW* and all-wheel drive for the top version of the SUV. Thanks to an exceptional drag coefficient of cw 0.265, the ENYAQ RS iV has a range of over 500 kilometres** in the WLTP cycle.

A new addition to ŠKODA’s range: The Czech car manufacturer’s sporty RS line-up has been expanded to include a second all-electric model – the new ENYAQ RS iV. The SUV features all wheel drive and two electric motors with a system output of 220 kW* as does the ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV. This makes the two RS versions of the ENYAQ iV family the most powerful vehicles in ŠKODA’s portfolio. The ENYAQ iV family is based on the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electrification Toolkit (MEB) and rolls off the production line at ŠKODA’s main plant in Mladá Boleslav. The ENYAQ iV and ENYAQ COUPÉ iV are the only MEB models to be manufactured in Europe outside Germany. ŠKODA AUTO has announced that in the coming days, the 100,000th car from the ENYAQ iV family will roll off the production line. This figure includes both the ENYAQ iV SUV and the ENYAQ COUPÉ iV series in all their respective variants, such as the sporty RS and SPORTLINE versions. Alongside all-electric models, the car manufacturer also offers customers a ŠKODA iV ecosystem, which includes wallboxes for convenient at-home charging and the POWERPASS, a charging card that can be used throughout Europe.

The ENYAQ RS iV’s dynamic appearance, with sports suspension as standard, large 20- or 21-inch wheels and distinctive RS features, makes it instantly recognisable as an RS model. With a top speed of 180 km/h, it is 20 km/h faster than the other ENYAQ iV models, as is the coupé variant. Locally emission-free, the vehicle sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds and boasts a maximum torque of 460 Nm, which is available from standstill, as is typical for an e-vehicle. Its 82 kWh battery, high energy efficiency and drag coefficient of cw 0.265 give the model a maximum range of over 500 kilometres** in the WLTP cycle. Thanks to a maximum charging power of 135 kW, the ENYAQ RS iV’s lithium-ion high-voltage battery can be charged from 10% to 80% in just 36 minutes at fast-charging stations.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

Prestigious awards for ŠKODA AUTO and ‘The Way of Life’: The Czech car manufacturer has won a Bronze Drum Award at the 28th Golden Drum Festival for its short film accompanying the world premiere of the ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV. The film also made it to the final in Group A, Film, Transport, Travel & Tourism. ‘The Way of Life’ also received Platinum Awards in four different categories at the Muse Awards 2022 held in New York.

With ‘The Way of Life’, ŠKODA opened the world premiere of the ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV, the first all-electric model in the Czech manufacturer’s sporty RS family, on 31 January 2022. Delivering an output of 220 kW (299 hp), the locally emission-free coupé offers a unique combination of sustainable sportiness and emotive design with generous space. The ENYAQ COUPÉ iV is ŠKODA’s first model to feature a gently sloping roofline in over two decades.

The premiere film ‘The Way of Life’, the work of director, screenwriter and creative director Pavel Brucek and production company CINQ, is set in former Czechoslovakia in 1980s Prague. It tells the story of a woman who looks back on the key moments of this time and her eventful life – growing up under the communist regime and the decisive events surrounding the peaceful Velvet Revolution of 1989. Her determination for freedom and personal independence is depicted clearly in the film, as is her special relationship with the ŠKODA brand.

At the 28^th Golden Drum Festival in Rovinj, Croatia, ‘The Way of Life’ received a Bronze Drum Award in the section Craft Drum / Group B, Motion Craft, Production. In Group A, Film, Transport, Travel & Tourism, the film made it to the list of finalists from 24 different countries. In total, 55 jurors had evaluated around 1,000 entries. ŠKODA and CINQ each received a Platinum Award in the video categories Short Film, Cinematography, Automotive Film and Diversity & Inclusion at the Muse Awards in New York for ‘The Way of Life’.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com

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