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ŠKODA SUPERB wins best import car in the executive car segment and new ŠKODA KAROQ is the best SUV costing less than 25,000 euros in the import car category.

The readers and online users of the ‘Auto Zeitung’ have chosen ŠKODA as the best import brand. It is already the eighth time that the long-established Czech brand has won the coveted ‘Auto Trophy’ award. The ŠKODA OCTAVIA also ranks among the serial winners: the compact car has been named best import car in the compact car segment for the third time in a row. A further ‘Auto Trophy’ has been awarded to the ŠKODA SUPERB as the best import car in the executive car segment. Straight away, the readers of ‘Auto Zeitung’ have voted the ŠKODA KAROQ the best SUV costing less than 25,000 euros in the import car category.

ŠKODA has long been popular with the readers and online users of ‘Auto Zeitung’. In this year’s ‘Auto Trophy’ poll, they once again chose the Czech manufacturer as the best import brand – for the fifth time in a row – with 14.2% of the vote. Overall, it is the brand’s eighth triumph in the coveted manufacturers’ rankings.

Another serial winner at the ‘Auto Trophy’ awards is the ŠKODA OCTAVIA. This year, the brand’s bestseller triumphed with 17.7% of votes cast in the category for ‘The Best Compact Car – Import’, thereby completing a hattrick of titles following previous wins in 2015 and 2016. This is the whopping sixth time that the ŠKODA OCTAVIA has taken the prestigious honour at the ‘Auto Trophy’ awards.

To date, the ŠKODA SUPERB has also registered this number of successes at the ‘Auto Trophy’ awards. The brand’s flagship model won the title of the best imported executive car with 24.7% of the vote in this year’s poll.

The new compact SUV, the ŠKODA KAROQ, has joined the list of ŠKODA successes fresh from its market launch. With 19.1% of the vote, the latest addition to the ŠKODA model family triumphed over the competition in the category of imported SUVs costing less than 25,000 euros. In typical ŠKODA style, the KAROQ scored points for its emotive design, state-of-the-art connectivity, offering generous amount of space, high level of comfort and practical ‘Simply Clever’ features.

This year marked the 30th occurrence of Auto Zeitung’s readers’ poll. Since 2014, the ‘Auto Trophy’ awards have carried the addition ‘World’s Best Cars’ due to the fact that readers and online users of 15 international automotive publications from the publishing company Bauer Media Group can also take part in the vote. In the 2017 poll, a total of 41,190 participants registered their vote. In the German speaking areas, they chose their favourites in 20 categories, while eight ratings were put to an international vote. The four categories in which ŠKODA was successful were voted for in Germany.

Article source: www.skoda-auto.com

The independent European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) has assessed the ŠKODA KAROQ.

The compact SUV is the Czech car manufacturer’s latest model to receive the five-star rating, making the KAROQ one of the safest compact SUVs on the road today.

“We are delighted that the new ŠKODA KAROQ has also passed the Euro NCAP tests with flying colours,” says ŠKODA Board Member for Technical Development, Christian Strube. “We are constantly working on optimising the passive and active safety of our models and developing occupant and pedestrian protection, as well as assistance systems. Numerous driver assistance systems are installed in the KAROQ that would otherwise only be found in higher vehicle classes,” says Strube.

Euro NCAP awarded the occupant protection of adult passengers an excellent 93%. In addition, Euro NCAP highlighted the protection of the cervical spine in rear-end collisions. The compact SUV’s emergency braking system worked reliably at low urban speeds and prevented almost all collisions. Euro NCAP also awarded the full score for the protection of pedestrians’ legs. The compact SUV also protected pedestrians’ heads well in the event of in a collision.

Following the ŠKODA KODIAQ, the ŠKODA KAROQ is the brand’s second vehicle to receive a five-star rating in 2017. ŠKODA is currently one of the few car manufacturers whose entire model range has received a five-star rating in the Euro NCAP test.

The KAROQ owes its outstanding passive safety to its high torsional rigidity, generous deformation zones in the extremely secure cabin and the use of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steels, for example in the side beams. In addition, the compact SUV has seven standard airbags: driver and passenger airbags, side airbags, head airbags and knee airbag. Child seats can be fixed in using Top-Tether or the Isofix system, which is also available for the front passenger seat. In the event of a rear-end collision, specially designed headrests (WOKS = Whiplash Optimized Headrests) reduce the risk of whiplash for the driver and front passenger. The proactive occupant protection system also tightens the front seatbelts in the event of a collision and closes any open windows including the sunroof. The system comes as standard in many countries.

The ŠKODA KAROQ is equipped with a large number of cameras as well as radar and sensor-based driver assistance systems. The front radar assistant, which includes city emergency braking with person recognition, helps to prevent accidents with pedestrians. Manoeuvre assist and pulling-away assist help the driver in reduced visibility and warn of hidden dangers.

Other safety features on board the ŠKODA KAROQ include an adaptive-distance assistant, a lane-keeping, camera-based traffic sign recognition, an emergency call function, a traffic jam assistant and fatigue detection.

Euro NCAP is an association of European transport ministries, automobile clubs and insurance associations based in Belgium. The organisation performs crash tests on current vehicle models and then evaluates the safety of the vehicles based on available safety systems. Euro NCAP was founded in 1997. In recent years, the crash test procedures have been continuously tightened and currently include various collision scenarios. While initially only the results of the crash tests were assessed, the evaluation of the active safety systems is now also included in the overall rating.

Article source: www.skoda-auto.com

ŠKODA KAROQ wins ‘small SUV’ category in the ‘Bild am Sonntag’ and ‘Auto Bild’ readers’ choice

The car magazine ‘Auto Bild’ and the ‘Bild am Sonntag’ newspaper have awarded the new ŠKODA KAROQ with the 2017 Golden Steering Wheel. Readers from over 20 European countries had voted the KAROQ into the final of the ‘small SUV’ category. In the end, a jury of experts chose ŠKODA’s newcomer as the winner after a number of challenging test drives.

“With the KAROQ, which sets benchmarks in many areas, we are consistently pressing ahead with our successful SUV campaign,” said ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Technical Development, Christian Strube. “I am delighted that the latest addition to our model range is also going down so well. The Golden Steering Wheel shows that with the KAROQ, we are currently offering the most attractive overall package in the compact SUV category,” added Strube.

The Golden Steering Wheel is one of Europe’s most coveted car awards. This year, a total of 42 models competed, split into the following categories: small and compact cars, small SUVs, large SUVs, mid-size and executive cars, and sports cars.

The ŠKODA KAROQ competed in the ‘small SUV’ category – with twelve nominees, the category containing the most participants. First of all, readers of ‘Auto Bild’, ‘Bild am Sonntag’ and their sister publications in more than 20 European countries voted for their four favourites in each vehicle category. During challenging test drives in Balocco in Northern Italy, the finalists were appraised by a jury of 53 experts including racing drivers, engineers, celebrities, designers and editors of leading European car magazines.

In typical ŠKODA style, the KAROQ impressed the judges with qualities such as comfort and a generous amount of space. In addition, the jury awarded more points for connectivity: the KAROQ impresses with the latest generation of infotainment systems, which can be operated via a capacitive touchscreen. The KAROQ is also the first ŠKODA to offer a freely programmable, digital instrument panel. Thanks to an LTE module and Wi-Fi hotspot, passengers in the ŠKODA KAROQ are ‘always online’. Furthermore, the compact SUV impressed the testers with its powerful drive and winning chassis set-up.

Article source: www.skoda-auto.com

Production of ŠKODA electric cars is a major step in the implementation of ŠKODA Strategy 2025. From 2019, ŠKODA will produce electrical components for plug-in hybrid models.

ŠKODA AUTO is going to produce models that run purely on electric at their Mladá Boleslav site. As of 2019, the brand will also be manufacturing electrical components for plug-in hybrids. The production of electric vehicles and parts is a significant step in the implementation of the brand's future strategy.

“ŠKODA's future will be electric," says ŠKODA AUTO CEO Bernhard Maier. "By 2025, we plan to offer five purely electrically powered models in various segments. We are pleased that the first all-electric ŠKODA will be built in the Czech Republic. This decision underlines the Group’s confidence in the ŠKODA workforce. This is an important step for the future of the SKODA brand and the Czech Republic as an automotive location.”

In addition to producing electric cars, the Mladá Boleslav plant will also be manufacturing electrical components for plug-in hybrid models of several Volkswagen Group brands as early as 2019.

ŠKODA's first electrified series model will be launched in 2019: the ŠKODA SUPERB with plug-in hybrid drive, which will roll off the Kvasiny plant production line. Mladá Boleslav will then manufacture the first purely battery electric model in 2020. At this year's Auto Shanghai, the manufacturer presented its vision of electric and autonomous driving with the electric study ŠKODA VISION E.

Electrifying the ŠKODA model range and producing electrical components for the Volkswagen Group are among the cornerstones of ŠKODA Strategy 2025. Other key areas of action include digitising products and processes, conquering new markets and expanding the company’s business areas from traditional automotive engineering to a wide range of mobility services.

Article source: www.skoda-auto.com

On course for a record once again: Together with its production partners worldwide ŠKODA AUTO has already produced one million vehicles this year, making it the fourth year in a row that the number of vehicles rolling off the production line has reached seven figures. Never before has this milestone been achieved as early as in October of a calendar year. The ŠKODA models OCTAVIA, FABIA and SUPERB have made the greatest contribution to this success. Additionally, the large SUV, the ŠKODA KODIAQ, promises further growth for 2017. The ŠKODA KAROQ will also provide impetus for growth. The company is currently introducing the compact SUV to the markets, thereby continuing its SUV campaign.

Mladá Boleslav, 31 October 2017: “Reaching the mark of one million cars produced is an important milestone for us this year,” said ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Production and Logistics, Michael Oeljeklaus. “This number, which has now already been reached, underlines the performance of our production sites as well as the expertise of our team. This year, we are once again aiming for a new production record,” added Oeljeklaus.

ŠKODA AUTO has reached together with its production partners worldwide the mark of one million ŠKODA vehicles produced in a financial year for the fourth consecutive time. The long-established company from Mladá Boleslav has reached this milestone earlier than ever before. In addition to the high demand for its bestseller, the ŠKODA OCTAVIA, FABIA and the SUPERB model ranges, the successful debut of the ŠKODA KODIAQ also made a contribution to increasing the production volume. Furthermore, the market launch of the large SUV in February this year marked the start of ŠKODA AUTO’s SUV campaign as part of the 2025 Strategy. As the most recent addition to the ŠKODA family, the ŠKODA KAROQ compact SUV is currently being introduced to the markets.

The landmark of one million vehicles produced, which was reached at the end of October, underlines once more ŠKODA AUTO’s positive development over the last 25 years in particular. Since joining Volkswagen Group in 1991, the Czech car manufacturer has increased its production sevenfold and transformed itself from a regional operator into an established high-volume manufacturer. Whilst there was only one model range rolling off the production line back then, today it is seven model ranges and over 40 model variants.

As it has grown, the company has been cultivating an international and efficient production network. In its home country of the Czech Republic, besides its main plant in Mladá Boleslav, the manufacturer operates further production plants in Kvasiny and Vrchlabí. In addition, ŠKODA vehicles also roll off the line at Volkswagen Group plants or with local partners in China, India, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Algeria and Slovakia.

ŠKODA AUTO has set a course for long-term growth beyond 2017. The roadmap for this comes in the shape of the 2025 Strategy, with which the Czech manufacturer is preparing itself for the upcoming challenges in the automotive industry. The future strategy’s key topics include electromobility, the digitalisation of the company, internationalisation and new mobility services. With this, ŠKODA AUTO aims to grow in two dimensions: on the one hand, vehicle sales are to be increased further and on the other hand, new business areas, such as digital mobility services, are to create a broader base for growth.

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

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