Skoda is celebrating the production of the six millionth Octavia. Since its launch in 1996, the Skoda Octavia is one of the best-selling models from the Czech car manufacturer. The milestone vehicle rolled off the production line at the company’s headquarters in Mlada Boleslav on 27 June 2017.
The Skoda Octavia was the first newly developed Skoda model following the fall of the Iron Curtain and after joining forces with the Volkswagen Group. While naming the new model, the company looked back to its model history. It found that between 1959 and 1971, a vehicle called Octavia was manufactured. The name Octavia comes from the Latin word ‘Octo’ for the number eight.
The historical Octavia was the Czech brand’s eighth model after the Second World War, following the Popular variants 420, 995, 995 OHV and 110 OHV, as well as the Skoda 1101, 1200 and 400. In the year 1961, the company introduced an estate version. In 22 years of production, Skoda built 365,400 vehicles of the Popular series.
The launch of the modern Skoda Octavia took place in autumn 1996 at the Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris. The notchback sedan offered a spacious interior of very high quality with modern technology and excellent value for money. The buyers were also impressed by its timeless design which was designed by former Skoda Chief Designer Dirk van Braeckel.
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In 1997 Skoda produced 61,000 units of the Octavia. Just one year later the production number had almost doubled to over 117,500 units. The Skoda Octavia Combi, which also stimulated demand, followed in 1998. The last of the 1,442,100 units of the first generation Octavia rolled off the assembly line at the Vrchlabi plant.
The successor to the first generation Octavia was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2004. The Skoda Octavia II had a new design, more space along with state-of-the-art technology. Petrol engines with direct injection also made their debut with the launch of this generation. Skoda also offered new six-speed manual gearboxes and automatic gearboxes including the DSG transmission with the new model.
The car came with enhanced safety features such as ABS with braking assistant, four airbags and new active headrests. It also provided increased driving comfort increased thanks to a new multi-link rear axle.
With the second-generation Octavia, the Czech manufacturer also stepped up its internationalisation strategy. The company started producing the Octavia II at its Indian plant in 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.
In the year 2012 Skoda revealed the third-generation Octavia. In 2013, Skoda began production in Ukraine and Kazakhstan as well. The extensively revised version of the Skoda Octavia was launched in February 2017.
The current Skoda Octavia model intends to continue the success story of its predecessors. The new model looks more dynamic than ever thanks to Skoda’s Crystalline design language. The latest Octavia sets new standards in terms of space, functionality, safety, comfort and technology. It is also the most feature rich and the first Octavia to feature the Skoda Connect mobile online services.
Skoda Octavia – Image Gallery
