Official: Skoda builds its four-millionth Octavia

Skoda may not fall on your radar screen since it doesn't market in North America, but don't think for one second that it doesn't count. Volkswagen's Czech subsidiary sells and even manufactures cars around the world that sell in big numbers. In fact, it just built it four-millionth Octavia.

Now entering its third generation, the Octavia has been Skoda's mainstay model for nearly 17 years, accounting for 38 percent of all its sales to emerge far and away as the best seller in the company's 118-year history. The first-generation Octavia launched in 1996 shortly after Volkswagen bought the company and was Skoda's first all-new model since the fall of the Iron Curtain.

The bulk of Octavia production has been handled at Skoda's Mladá Boleslav plant in the Czech Republic, but additional manufacturing has been undertaken in China, Russia, India, Slovakia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. The second-generation model was by far the most successful so far, with 1.6 million sedans and over 880,000 Combi wagons sold. But the new third-generation Octavia just came out earlier this year and has already sold nearly 70,000 units.

Feel free to read through the press release below for more.

Å KODA produces 4,000,000th Octavia
26.8.2013

​› 'Heart of the brand' - ŠKODA Octavia - setting new standards in the compact segment for almost 17 years
› Millions sold: Best-selling ŠKODA ever
› Winner: new ŠKODA Octavia successfully launched
› International success model: production in the Czech Republic, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and from 2014 in China

​Mladá Boleslav, 26 August 2013 â€" Å KODA has just produced the 4,000,000th Å KODA Octavia. The anniversary vehicle â€" a third-generation Octavia in 'Race-Blue' rolled off the production line today at the Mladá Boleslav main plant. The Å KODA Octavia has been setting standards in the compact segment since 1996 and is by far the brand's best-selling model.
​"Four million Octavias produced â€" this impressive figure represents the great success of the model and brand," says Å KODA CEO Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland. "As the 'heart of the brand', the Octavia has decisively shaped Å KODA's outstanding development and made the company what it is today â€" an internationally successful manufacturer, present on over 100 markets worldwide. We are continuing this development with the third generation. The new Octavia is once again a winner with its excellent Å KODA genes. It is the largest, lightest, safest, most practical, comfortable and environmentally friendly Octavia ever."

The Octavia has always been the epitome of a Å KODA: timelessly elegant design, above-average space, highest functionality, many Simply Clever features, sophisticated modern technology, quality and precision and not least unbeatable value for money. The launch of the third generation in early 2013 topped all of that again. The new Octavia offers mid-class qualities for the price of a compact, now more than ever.

At its launch in October 1996, the Octavia was the first completely new Å KODA model after the fall of the Iron Curtain and marked the start of the partnership between Å KODA and Volkswagen. Nearly four million Octavias had been delivered to customers worldwide between 1996 and July 2013 - around 38% of the brand's total sales in this period, making the Octavia the undisputed best seller in the 118-year history of the company.

This also makes the new Octavia the most important model in the most comprehensive product campaign in Å KODA's corporate history. The manufacturer is promoting its high-impact path of growth with a powerful model extravaganza. The aim of this growth strategy is to increase the number of vehicle sales worldwide to at least 1.5 million per year by 2018.

In the first half of 2013, the Czechs presented their new bestseller in four versions: the saloon, the Combi and Combi 4x4 as well as the sporty Octavia RS â€" with a top speed of 248 km/h, making it the fastest series-produced Octavia ever. As the cornerstone of Å KODA's growth strategy, the Octavia is an international success story. In addition to its manufacture at Å KODA's main plant in Mladá Boleslav, the compact car is also produced in Russia (Nizhny Novgorod), India (Aurangabad), Ukraine (Solomonovo) and Kazakhstan (Ust-Kamenogorsk). Additional production is also planned from 2014 in China; Å KODA's strongest individual market. "The Å KODA Octavia is a car for Europe and the world, now more than ever," says Vahland.

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