From a pioneer to a driving force

Škoda, the Volkswagen subsidiary, and ABT have incredibly lot in common. Both companies have been founded almost at the same time and had prospective founders. Both brands are strongly rooted in motor sports. Uptrend takes a look at the eventful history of the company of Škoda.

A history full of entrepreneurial spirit and enthusiasm for technology started just one year before Johann Abt started his self-employmed as a blacksmith in the Allgäu. In 1895 the bookseller Václav Klement and the mechanic Václav Laurin got on the bicycle business at the Czech city of Mladá Boleslav (the city where the head office of Škoda still is located at until today). Both entrepreneurs soon started to launch motorized two-wheelers. Thanks to numerous spectacular race victories, the eqally fast and reliable vehicles made by Laurin & Klement became known even beyond the borders of the Czech homeland. Marketing by means of motor sports - a clear parallel to ABT since the founder's grandson Johann Abt started competing in motocycle and car races by 1950 and founded ABT Tuning 1967, which was the predecessor of today's ABT Sportsline GmbH. The success on the racetrack still is a great growth accelerator for the Allgäuer until today.

The first car leaves the factory in 1905

But let's get back to the Škoda-story: Václav Laurin and Václav Klement did not rest on their laurels. They sensed that the need for more comfort and luxury has to lead to more comfortable cars inevitably. Therefore L & K soon started building test vehicles of multilane cars assembled by parts of motorcycles. The first car left the factory in 1905: the L & K Voiturette A. This made the company reach the state of pioneers in the field of car manufacturing and convinced others due to the fast growth. In 1907 Laurin and Klement decided to fund a stock company. The product range meanwhile includes trucks, busses and even motor ploughs or road rollers beside normal vehicles.

Yet the first world war also left its mark on L & K. The challenge was to develop new and affordable models after the war but in order to do so, investments were required. But the founding fathers managed to get a strong partner thanks to the Škoda-plant, a mechanical engineering giant located in Pilsen. The merger agreement was signed on June 27th 1925. From then on, the produced cars were launched with a double lable until the end of the 1920ies. They had both the Škoda logo and the lettering "Laurin & Klement" on the radiator grille. Modernized assembly halls quickly enable the switch to assemlby line production at Mladá Boleslav. The year 1934 came up with two more important mile stones: the economic Škoda Popular with the weight-saving central double cradles and transaxle transmissions as well as the comfortable Škoda Superb, godfather of the current flagship.

The Felicia convertible takes care of some freedom behind the safety curtain

Even during heaviest times of war and the following years of socialist economy of scarcity, the Škoda engineers proved their outrageous skills. Vehicles like the Felicia convertible gave a feeling of automobile freedom behind the safety curtain and became export hits. During the 1950ies, the Octavia became pioneering for the company's history. The middle class model as a new development had some single hung frontwheel at its disposal. In 1964, the Škoda 1000MB with the most modern one litre motor started a new era of heck rear engines. The turning point to modern compact cars with a motor built in in the front and a front-wheel-drive came in 1987 thanks to the Favorit with a bodywork designed by the Italian star-designer Guiseppe Bertone.

Volkswagen takes over Škoda in 1991

The next incision for the company came in 1991 due to the aquisition by Volkswagen. Back in that time, the production volume was at 200.000 vehicles per year as the product range consisted of two model lines - a rear engine vehcile and the compact car Favorit including the combined version Forman. Under coverage of the Volkswagen-group, the new business Škoda put up the path to a succesful future with a comprehensive model- and quality offensive.

In 1996 the brand with the winged arrow in its trademark presented the first completey newly developed model as a member of the Volkswagen group: the Škoda Octavia which layed the foundation for the latest success story of the vehicles from Mladá Boleslav. The cooperation with Volkwagen also connects ABT to the Czechs. The Allgäuer are customizing Škoda models for more than two decades now. Performance increases and rims are especially popular.

From recordsales to recordsales

Nowadays Škoda plays an active role on more than 100 markets worldwide. The widespread product portoflio includes more than 40 model variants - from the Citigo small car to the brand's flagship, the Škoda Superb. And the vehicles go well with the customers. Only in Germany, Škoda managed to sell 106.802 new cars during the first half of 2018. This complies with a growth of 8.1 percent and a market share of 5.8 percent. Due to that Škoda remains to be the most successful importer in Germany. But business is also booming internationally: let alone during the first half of 2018, more than 650.000 vehicles were delivered. This is also a new record for the company.

Škoda as the leader of a billion-scale Volkswagen-project in India 

Meanwhile Škoda plays an important role inside the Volkswagen group and manged to develop furthermore from a technology recipient to a pulse generator. Thanks to that, Škoda ist the leader of the Project India 2.0 initiated by Volkswagen, which is supported by the group with financial means in the amount of one billion dollars. Therefore Škoda and Volkswagen develop new models in the small car segment for the Indian market. There first vehicle from India 2.0 will be an SUV, that will be introduced in 2020. He will also be carrying the typical Škoda DNA: tempting design, modern technology, top quality and a convincing price performance ratio.

Even in the fields of carsharing, digitalization and artificial intelligence Škoda is said to an innovation driver. The company's founders Laurin & Klement would shurely feel pure joy because of that.