millionthSkodaOctavia

Six Millionth Skoda Octavia Rolls Off The Production Line

Skoda recently announced that the company had produced the six millionth Octavia. The jubilee vehicle ran off the production line at the company’s headquarters in Mladá Boleslav. The Skoda Octavia exemplifies the brand’s success over the past two decades. It was the first newly developed Skoda model after joining forces with the Volkswagen Group. Its introduction provided the impetus for the company’s rise to becoming a global company, which has now established itself among the large volume brands.

6 millionth Skoda Octavia

The launch of the Skoda Octavia took place in autumn 1996 at the ‘Mondial de l’Automobile’ in Paris. The then new notchback saloon in the upper compact class featured modern technology and was very high quality and excellent value for money. With its ample space, the Octavia set new standards in its segment right from the start.

In searching for a name for the new model, the company looked back to its model history. Between 1959 and 1971, the manufacturer built a vehicle called Octavia, which mobilized the masses, offering lots of space and modern technology for the time. The name Octavia comes from the Latin word for the number eight: ‘Octo’.

Also read: New 2017 Skoda Octavia 2.0 TDI and 1.8 TSI First Drive Review

The historical Octavia was the traditional Czech brand’s eighth model after the Second World War, following the variants 420, 995, 995 OHV and 110 OHV, as well as the Skoda 1101, 1200 and 400. In 1961 an estate version was launched on the market. In 22 years of production, the company built 365,400 vehicles in the popular series.

The Octavia of the modern era set the bar considerably higher. In 1997, Skoda produced 61,000 units of the Octavia, one year later the production number had almost doubled to over 117,500 units. The Octavia Combi, which also stimulated demand, followed in 1998. In 2010, the last of 1,442,100 Octavia’s of the first generation rolled off the line at the Vrchlabí plant.

The successor to the original Octavia, first introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2004, continued the triumphant success of its predecessor. The Octavia II had a fresh design, more space in the interior and boot. Also, petrol engines with direct injection celebrated their premiere in the new generation. Added to this there were new six-speed manual gearboxes and automatic gearboxes – including the DSG transmission. Driving comfort increased thanks to a new multi-link rear axle. The enhanced safety features included ABS with braking assistant as series standard in Europe, four airbags and new active headrests.

With the second-generation Octavia, the Czech manufacturer also stepped up its internationalization strategy. The production of the Octavia began at the Indian plant Aurangabad in 2005. The Shanghai Volkswagen plant has been building the Octavia for China since 2007. And since 2009, the Octavia has been produced at the Russian Volkswagen plant in Kaluga. The third Octavia generation celebrated its premiere in 2012. Just one year later, production of the brand’s bestseller also commenced in Ukraine and Kazakhstan. With the extensively revised version of the Skoda Octavia released in February 2017, the brand intends to continue the success story of its predecessors and further strengthen the company’s position in the international markets.

Speaking on the occasion, Michael Oeljeklaus, Skoda Board Member for Production and Logistics, said, “No other model has run off Skoda’s production lines more often than the Octavia. It is the heart of our brand and represents the high performance of Skoda production and logistics. The Octavia has made a significant contribution to Skoda’s rise on the global markets.”

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