Brand of cars produced by the Czech manufacturer Škoda Auto. It belongs to one of the oldest car brands in Europe, having been in use for more than a hundred years.
It all started back in the 19th century in Mladá Boleslav, where the company's headquarters are still located today. A certain Václav Klement, a bookseller by profession and a passionate cyclist by hobby, after getting tired of having to import spare parts for his iron horse, decided to assemble them himself. His partner was mechanic Václav Laurin. They named the developed design Slavia. The company for their assembly was named Laurin & Klement Co.. It was 1895.
Business went on, and quite successfully. That made it possible to switch to motorcycles in 1989. Although this type of machinery was still a novelty in those years, the companions managed to develop a very good model, which became in steady demand.
There's more. Not wanting to stop there, the founders Laurin & Klement try their hand at creating automobiles. In 1905 the Voiturette A, the first Czech car in history, appears. And here the company was a success - the novelty became very popular. Inspired by the success, Vaclav and Vaclav start producing another model, called Faeton. But all their plans are crossed out by the First World War. Laurin & Klement is forced to switch to the production of military equipment.
After the war, it was unrealistic for a small car manufacturer to survive in a country with a shattered economy. Laurin & Klement is forced to merge with the largest industrial association in the Czech Republic Pilsen Škoda Co. *. This is how a brand name disappears. Laurin & Klement and it is replaced by a new one, known to this day. Škoda. And despite the death of the old brand, the merger benefited the company. It not only survived, but again, albeit slowly, but began to gain strength, producing new cars. Thus, the successful Popular model appears. Trucks and buses are also produced.
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| Škoda Favorit (1987) |
And once again the war puts an end to the stable development of the company. This time it is World War II. Once again the company's factories are switched to the production of weapons for German soldiers (this time even tanks). And once again these factories lie in ruins after the end of hostilities. The Allies were favorably disposed to Škoda and did not impose any sanctions on it, after all, the Czech Republic itself was occupied and weapons were not produced for its own pleasure.
The company was nationalized and renamed the AZNP Škoda ("Automobilové závody, národní podnik" – "Automotive Plants, National Company"). It gets a monopoly on the production of cars in the Czech Republic, which allows it to recover rather quickly.
Until the 1960s of the 20th century, automobiles Škoda were not much inferior to their Western competitors. The company managed to maintain a high level of its products. But later, the general decline of the socialist countries played their part. Škoda was the largest car manufacturer in Eastern Europe, but even that did not save the situation. The situation was more or less saved with the launch of the successful model Favorit in 1987. But even that was not enough after the fall of the Iron Curtain. In order to save the company the state had to look for a worthy partner. It turned out to be a German concern Volkswagen Group. The merger took place in 1991. That's how it came to be. Škoda, automobilová a.s. or just Škoda Auto.
Today, the brand Škoda The following are some of the companies that are nominally part of the Škoda Holding. The range of production is wide - machines, cars, trolleybuses (those legendary "unbreakable" trolleybuses of the company Škoda OstrovThe company's main products are locomotives, locomotives, various components and spare parts, and equipment for the power industry. Some of these companies, although they use a common brand name and logo, have other owners. As, for example, the same Škoda Auto.
