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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 all-electric concept study VISION iV offers an outlook on the interior of the first ŠKODA based on the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB). The traditional centre tunnel is not used – so the ŠKODA designers used the possibilities of the new MEB platform to create a spacious and innovative interior. For example, they reconfigured the layout of the instrument panel and centre console. Between the driver and the passenger seat, the VISION iV offers plenty of storage space on the lowest level, above which there is a centre console that is particularly easy to reach for the driver and front passenger. Two mobile phones, which can be wirelessly integrated into the infotainment and operating system, can be placed in the console while they charge inductively.

The instrument panel consists of two levels whose lines and decorative stitching draw inspiration from the front of the vehicle. The large free-standing screen appears to hover centrally above the instrument panel, in front of which there is a ledge for the hand that operates the touch screen. The steering wheel has also been redesigned, now featuring two spokes and ‘ŠKODA’ in block capitals in place of the familiar ŠKODA logo.

ŠKODA is taking another step towards electromobility with the VISION iV. Over the next four years, the Czech carmaker will be investing around two billion euros in alternative drive systems and new mobility services. The brand will have introduced ten electrified models by the end of 2022.

The world premiere of the ŠKODA VISION iV concept study takes place at the Geneva Motor Show from 5 to 17 March.

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/skodaautonews, for all the latest news. All content on the ŠKODA VISION iV study can be found using the hashtag #VISIONiV.

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

Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Production and Logistics, says: “Preparations for e-mobility at ŠKODA are in full swing. For over a year, we have been conducting tests using more than 300 charging points at our plant in Mladá Boleslav. We are now drawing on the experience and insights gained from these trials to further expand the charging infrastructure off the factory premises – a task we are undertaking in collaboration with ŠKO-ENERGO.”

The technical development, quality assurance, sales and production departments are already testing the charging infrastructure at the ŠKODA plant in Mladá Boleslav. Last year, the manufacturer invested a total of around 3.4 million euros in its expansion: 1.65 million euros went into modernising and expanding the power grid and a further 1.75 million euros was issued by ŠKODA AUTO for the installation of more than 300 charging points. This is equivalent to more than 220 alternating current (AC) and more than 80 modern direct current (DC) charging stations.

In the next few years, ŠKODA AUTO plans to expand the charging infrastructure beyond the plant gates. In collaboration with the energy provider ŠKO-ENERGO – ŠKODA AUTO’s energy provider for more than 20 years – and the local authority, the car manufacturer is preparing Mladá Boleslav for e-mobility, developing it into a smart city.

First ŠKODA models with electric drivetrain will arrive in 2019
This year ŠKODA AUTO is launching its first models with electric drive. The ŠKODA SUPERB with plug-in hybrid drive will be the first on the market, followed by the all-electric version of the ŠKODA CITIGO. The series-production version of the ŠKODA VISION E study will be launched in 2020. Over the next four years, ŠKODA AUTO will be investing two billion euros in the development of electric vehicles and new mobility services as part of Strategy 2025, making it the largest investment programme in ŠKODA AUTO’s history.

Article source: www.skoda-storyboard.com