Skoda has celebrated the production of its two millionth car. The milestone vehicle, a Škoda Kodiaq in the colour moon white, rolled off the production line at the traditional Czech company’s site.
To launch the production of the brand’s first large SUV, Škoda’s East Bohemian factory had taken on 2,600 new employees by the end of last year. The production plant will be further modernised and expanded in the coming years.
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“Kvasiny is a state-of-the-art production facility with a great tradition and an outstanding team. As an important cornerstone of Škoda’s production network, the Kvasiny plant will be making a key contribution to Škoda Strategy 2025,” says Škoda board member for production and logistics Michael Oeljeklaus. “The site’s annual production volume will continue to increase over the coming years. To this end, we will be investing heavily into the location, expanding Kvasiny into a competence centre for the production of SUV vehicles among other things. We have recently reached an important milestone in this regard by launching production of the Škoda Kodiaq.
The Kvasiny plant has a tradition spanning the last 80 years, and is one of the most important employers in the Hradec Králové region. Cars such as the JAWA 700 were produced here as early as the 1930s. The first Škoda to be manufactured at Kvasiny was the Škoda Superb in 1947. In subsequent years, the models Felicia (1958 to 1964), 110 R Coupé (1970 to 1980), Škoda pickup / VW Caddy pickup (1995 to 2001), Superb, Roomster and Yeti ran off the production Line.
The Škoda plant in East Bohemia is currently undergoing the most significant modernisation and expansion in its history. As part of the comprehensive SUV campaign, which was launched with the Škoda Kodiaq, the manufacturer has invested approximately seven billion crowns into the location. Over the next few years, the production capacity of the plant will steadily increase to 280,000 vehicles annually. An additional 2600 employees had been added to the workforce by the end of 2016, and Škoda will be creating new jobs this year, as well. The company is one of the largest industrial employers in the region.
Automobile production at Kvasiny, important milestones:
- 1934 – The body shop Jawa Kvasiny is founded.
- 1947 – Production launch of the Škoda Superb.
- 1959 – Kvasiny launches the production of the convertible Škoda Felicia.
- 1970 – Production launch of the sporty coupé Škoda 110 R.
- 1981 – Production launch of the Škoda Garde / Rapid.
- 1991 – Škoda joins the Volkswagen Group.
- 2001 – Škoda’s new flagship, the Superb rolls off the production lines at Kvasiny.
- 2006 – Launch of the Škoda Roomster model produced at Kvasiny.
- 2009 – The new Škoda Yeti compact SUV is produced at Kvasiny.
- 2013 – January: The assembly of the Škoda Roomster returns to Kvasiny.
- July: The new combined heat and power plant (CHP) becomes operational.Around EUR3m (US$3.12m) go into creating an environmental project, later awarded ‘eco-project of the year’ in the Czech Republic.
- November: 1.5m vehicles have been produced at Kvasiny.
- December: 500,000 second-generation Škoda Superbs have been produced at Kvasiny.
- 2014 – September: The Kvasiny plant celebrates 80 years of operation.
- 2015 – March: The third generation Škoda Superb rolls off the line. Škoda invests heavily in new production technologies, assembly and logistics areas for the start of production of the brand’s flagship made in Kvasiny. Around EUR62.3m was invested in the new body construction alone.
- October: The 500,000th Škoda Yeti is manufactured at Kvasiny.
- 2016 – October: The brand’s first large SUV, the Škoda Kodiaq, is manufactured at Kvasiny.
