It is no secret that the Czech Republic’s biggest car maker Skoda Auto has been in the past – a laughing stock in the automotive world. But things are finally turning around for the automaker and right now it has become a profit producing force for its owner Volkswagen.
The Czech Republic’s biggest car maker is also planning to open up new markets in China, India, and Russia. Skoda Auto was bought by Volkswagen in the year 1991 and become one of the forces behind the latter’s global force. And as part of Europe’s largest automaker, Skoda Auto makes use of quality Volkswagen auto parts for its production like the popular Volkswagen spark plug wires.
Skoda Auto was able to record net profits for the last week of 2006 totaling to 11.06 billion koruna or 392 million euros (515 million dollars). It obtained a 40% increase as compared to its earnings in the previous year.
Skoda Auto’s production also increased by 12.6 percent or 556,347 units with successful deliveries of up 11.7 percent resulting to an overall sales increase of 8.7 percent to 203.7 billion koruna. For this year, Europe’s largest automaker Volkswagen owner of Skoda is expecting for it to produce more than 600,000 cars.
According to Marc-Rene Tonn an analyst from German bank MM Warburg and Co., “Skoda is an extremely profitable part of the Volkswagen Group.” He also stressed that about one in every 10 Volkswagen Group cars are produced in the Czech Republic especially those sold in the year 2005. This was seconded by Stephen Pope, a London-based analyst with financial services group Cantor Fitzgerald Europe, “Volkswagen will rely heavily on Audi and Skoda during this current period.” Since he said that the Europe’s largest automaker is currently struggling with an ageing range of models and it needs new launches to revive it. “The whole new image of Skoda has changed. It is no longer taken as a joke and is now seen as a pure derivative of Volkswagen, but much more reasonably priced.”
Pope also added that this simply shows the remarkable development that Skoda Auto has achieved under the management of Volkswagen for the past 15 years as part of the VW Group. Praises also to Volkswagen for being steadfast in its decision not to scrap the Skoda brand in spite of the not so good image that the brand has in Western Europe (DaimlerChrysler could used some advice from Volkswagen).
The turning of the Skoda into one of Volkswagen’s flagship producer of reasonably priced reliable cars just goes to show the effective management style that Europe’s largest automaker have. And today, Volkswagen is leading Skoda to become its low-cost spearhead into the booming economies of China, India, and Russia without damaging along the way it attempts to target a more prestige market.
Pope also said that “Skoda will be designated as the entry level car with the premium part of the market left for Volkswagen.”
The boss of Skoda Detlef Wittig has announced last week the company’s goal of producing low-cost car for the Asian market, mentioning also that the company plans of opening up markets in India, Russia, and China. The low-cost Fabia and the top-of-the-range Superb are scheduled to be produced for China in partnership with Shanghai Volkswagen. Likewise, launches production of the mid-range Octavia model are set for China this year.
The Czech automaker has already car assembly and production projects in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Bosnia, and India. Current models lined up for production includes the mid-range Roomster which will complete the current four model range and the three-door sporty vehicle called the Skoda Joyster which is designed for young buyers.
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Growing up with three brothers, Natalie Anderson became exposed early to the world of automobiles. This 29-year-old account manager now dreams of having her very own top-of-the-line vintage car.
Nowadays, all cars including the one we are talking about here, the Skoda Fabia vRS, have a computerized Engine Management System. This system can be re-programmed to adjust the amount of fuel or oxygen that goes into the engine at a time, the spark plug timing and even engine power at different RPM’s. This process is called remapping a car and it is usually done so that you can get the optimal performance from your vehicle.
The amount of power you can gain depends on your engine type. Seeing that this is the sports version of the Fabia, the performance has already been improved. But, with a little more cash this diesel engine can really push the limits. The Fabia engine already has a very impressive performance and the extra power that is gained from the remapping more often than not will see the owners face light up.
Where you get your remap done from is important but as long as the dealer is recognized it shouldn’t make much of a difference. One of the best car remapping companies, in my opinion, is Angel Tuning and you should definitely consider them when remapping your Fabia. Initially, it gives you 130bhp and 310nm of torque. There are two ways in which you can remap this:-
1. Generic remap: Here, the car can gain anything from 20-40bhp. These are pre-designed remaps sometimes called “off the shelf” remaps.
2. Custom remap: The car gains from 40bhp upwards and is based on your preferences and other modifications that you may have.
What actually happens is, the Engine Control Unit (ECU), the engine’s computer which controls everything from the ignition timing to when the turbo kicks in, has a pre-designed map stored on its system. This map can be re-programmed so as to provide you with the optimum driving experience in your vehicle. It takes approximately 30 minutes to an hour to complete this process. The work that is done does not damage your Fabia in any way as it is entirely software based and thus you only risk your ECU.
After getting your Skoda remapped, if you are not satisfied with the significant increase in performance you can choose to get the mapping un-done so that you are back to your stock car settings. You can continuously remap your car, so, if you are a speed junkie, you should stay updated on the latest remapping software’s available so that you can have the best possible remap on your vehicle at all times.
At this point, you must be wondering why the stock maps installed in your vehicle aren’t already at optimum performance. The reason for this, a law, which states that all new cars must have a dip in the engine power at RPM’s of 2000-3000. This law is was made to reduce harmful emissions from vehicles, although all it does is make people accelerate more in this rev range which leads to increased emissions anyway plus wasted fuel. The Skoda’s performance is also limited from the company itself so that they can release new faster models later by just changing the map on the ECU. They will use this opportunity to charge you 1000’s of pounds more, just like they did when releasing this variant of the Fabia.
One thing that you should consider before actually remapping your car is whether or not this will affect the insurance on your vehicle. In most cases, the insurers won’t be able to tell the difference between a remapped vRS and a stock vRS, but just to be on the safe side you should thoroughly go through the documentation relating to your insurance before remapping your engine.
Skoda has a few months back launched their flagship the Skoda Superb. It is an excellent car that combines luxury with power and lives up to the name of the Czech manufacturer. The Skoda hit the Indian market about a decade back and the car has made a name for itself for reliability and durability. The new Skoda superb which has been launched has won good reviews from Europe as well, where the Czech manufactured car holds it own against other similar cars.
The car is built on a VW Passat platform as it comes from the same stable. But it has more legroom compared to the Passat. The car comes in both petrol and diesel versions and certainly gives competition to other brands like Camry and Accord. The Superb has a very capable petrol engine and a brilliant diesel engine and hence is a much better bet than the earlier Superb. In short, if you are in the market for a D-segment sedan you cannot just ignore the Superb. It is a regal sedan and has all the trappings of an excellent car.
The car is loaded with the usual goodies. In addition it has a luxurious feel with touch screen stereo. The usual features available in a high end car are all there like climate control and cruise control.
The Superb comes with three engine variants beginning with a 1.8 TSI turbo petrol, the 2.0 litter PD engine and lastly the powerful superb with the V6 petrol engine. The 1.8 petrol has an output of 160 bhp and can touch 100km in about 10 seconds. That is pretty good. However in case you are looking for greater economy than the diesel 2.0 will stand you in good stead. It churns out 140bhp and can race to 100km in 12 seconds. In addition in actual city driving conditions the car clocks 10km to a liter and on the highway you can get 15.Which is fine and will not pinch your pocket.
Lastly, if you are looking for refinement than the V6 is certainly your cup of tea. It generates an awesome 260 bhp and accelerates to 100km in less than 8 seconds. Power from this FSI engine goes to all four wheels making this the safest executive sedan to drive in adverse weather conditions like slippery and wet roads
The Skoda Superb has proved that a European sedan can take on the established players in the segment like the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry. The car is an excellent buy and priced between Rs 22 to 25 laky. However the V6 will set you back by Rs 30 laky, but the extra features and the 4×4 system alone compensates for the relative high price.
The Skoda superb is definitely a car that is a cut above similar Japanese cars. It also has an excellent dealership network and the car can be serviced at centers all over India. Spares are not a problem with such an extensive dealership and maintenance network. The Skoda is certainly value for money. In case you have the money than buying a Skoda superb is an excellent proposition. It is like buying a cheaper version of the Merc and will tickle your palette.
Skoda cars have developed a great reputation for build quality in recent years but as many will remember, this was not always the case. The origins of this car company are steeped in political turmoil and span over 100 years.
The very beginning of their history starts in 1895, when an engineer (Vaclav Laurin) and a book seller (Vaclav Klement) started to manufacture bicycles. Their enthusiasm for the subject allowed them to create original designs and their knowhow allowed them to put them into production. At the very end of the 19th century the company formed by Laurin and Klement started to manufacture motorcycles.
Within 10 years the company had turned its hand to the manufacture of automobiles. After considerable success the company was able to grow to a point they could supply their vehicles internationally. Their private investment was soon exhausted which forced them to become a joint stock company. By 1915 the company was involved in the production of vehicles for the armed forces.
The Laurin and Klement trademark had come a long way but the merger with Pilsen Skoda saw the end of their brand. In the 1930’s the company gained notoriety for the Skoda Popular. During the Second World War the company was incorporated into the German Empire which caused huge disruption in production.
After the war the company became a national enterprise by the name of AZNP and secured a monopoly on passenger car production. After several decades the rapid growth had taken a toll and in comparison with production methods being used further west. It was not until the late 1980’s that the company’s production started to grow after the introduction of the Skoda Favorit.
The government of the Czech Republic and Skoda management searched for an international partner to bolster production. In 1990 the company became part of the Volkswagen group. This gave rise to the standards we have come to expect of new Skoda models today.
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