Skoda produces the seven millionth Octavia in a journey of 60 years
The seven millionth Skoda Octavia has rolled off the production line at the company’s main plant in Mlada Boleslav. The model’s beginnings date back to 1959.
In the mid-90s, the first generation of the modern-day Octavia was the first Skoda to be developed entirely under the umbrella of Volkswagen Group. Skoda has delivered 363,700 units of its bestseller to customers in 2019 and celebrated the world premiere of the latest, fourth generation Octavia in Prague in November.
Michael Oeljeklaus, Skoda Auto Board Member for Production and Logistics, said, “The Octavia is the heart of our brand. Having enjoyed success since the mid-90s, it has contributed significantly to transforming Skoda from a regional market leader into an internationally thriving carmaker that has now firmly established itself as a high-volume manufacturer. This milestone is therefore a very special event for us and is a great testament to the fantastic work of our colleagues in the Production and Logistics department."
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The original Octavia has been wowing customers since back in1959. At the time, it was the eighth Skoda to feature the modern independent suspension for all wheels and also the Czech manufacturer’s eighth model since the Second World War. It was therefore given the name Octavia – derived from ‘octo’, the Latin word for the number eight. In 12years of production (saloon until1964, estate until1971), Skoda built approximately 400,000units of the popular model.
At the ‘Mondial de l’Automobile’ in Paris in autumn1996, Skoda presented the first generation of its modern-day Octavia – the first Skoda in the lower mid-size car segment for decades. It was also the first model by the Czech manufacturer to be developed entirely under the umbrella of Volkswagen Group. The design and spaciousness of the saloon catered to the public’s taste and, in1997, around 61,000units rolled off the line. Skoda manufactured more than 117,500 the following year, almost doubling its production. By2010, a total of 1,440,000first-generation Octavias had been built – in the end in parallel with its successor.
Skoda presented the second generation of the Octavia to the global public at the Geneva Motor Show in March2004. In addition to innovative petrol engines with direct injection, new six-speed manual and automatic transmissions were also available, including the direct-shift gearbox (DSG).
Skoda built a total of approximately 2,500,000second-generation Octavias.
Production of the Octavia II at the Aurangabad plant in India began in 2005 and, in2007, Shanghai Volkswagen (now SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co. Ltd.) started manufacturing the second-generation Octavia for the Chinese market. The Octavia has also been rolling off the line at Volkswagen Group’s Kaluga plant in Russia since2009.
Skoda introduced the third generation of its bestseller in2012 and started making the third-generation Octavia in Ukraine and Kazakhstan the following year. In February2017, the manufacturer comprehensively revised the Octavia and refined the image of the successful model. With the introduction of its Skoda Connect mobile online services, for the first time the Octavia was able to offer a range of connectivity solutions that were as advanced as they were comprehensive. Skoda has built around 2,600,000third-generation Octavias to date.
The fourth generation of the bestseller made its debut in Prague on 11November2019.
