At 125, Skoda takes stock of their legacy while charting their course ahead

Skoda Auto turned 125 years old on April 2, and it has been 115 years since they launched their first car. They are one of the oldest automobile manufacturers who are still producing cars today. The company started as a bicycle manufacturer from their factory in Mlada Boleslav in the Czech Republic and has gone on to produce some iconic vehicles in its colourful history including the Laurin & Klement 110, Voiturette A, Skoda Popular and Skoda 110 R. And that wasn’t all, they also produced over 4,000 motorbikes between 1899 to 1905 before moving to cars.

Today, the brand is part of the Volkswagen Group and has a global presence, including a growing market share in India. The company also plans to launch over 30 new models globally by 2022, and these include hybrids and fully-electric models as well.

In India, the brand has revealed plans to introduce a compact SUV by 2021, which has currently been christened as the Vision IN. Expected to be powered by a choice of efficient petrol engines, this vehicle will incorporate a lot of Indian design themes as well, we leant! The Czech automobile manufacturer is also set to launch the Karoq SUV in India later this year, and this is a product to keep on your radar if you are looking for a premium SUV that won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

As for the future, Skoda is already on track to offer sustainable mobility solutions which include an all-electric SUV called the Enyag that is built on the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electric Platform (MEB). With all this on their plate, Skoda is only set to grow. Currently, they retail in 100 countries and deliver 1.24 million vehicles worldwide!