1895-1905: a legendary history of automobile enlightenment
On Christmas in 1895, the mechanic Vaclav Laurin (1865-1930) and The perfect combination of businessman Vaclav Klement (1868-1938) started the journey of the century-old Koda brand. The company with Slavia as its trademark started with only 7 people, and this was the L&K company that later became famous throughout Europe and even the world.
Little story: Mr. Klement is a business wizard. He, who did not speak English, once went to England alone to sell his motorcycles. With his amazing business talent, he taught conservative British people to ride motorcycles and accept his products in three minutes. Such a successful promotion impressed everyone. The Mercedes-Benz dealer at that time successfully opened a new market with a reservation volume of 150 units (which was already a very astonishing number at the beginning of the 20th century when motorcycles just appeared).
1905-1926: Rapid Rise
1905 is a year that cannot be ignored in the history of Koda. In this year, the company devoted itself to the development and research of automobiles, truly beginning its century-old automobile career. It soon achieved great commercial success and became a symbol of the Bohemian automobile industry, and the entire Kingdom of Bohemia also became the strongest industrial country in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At the same time, ?koda cars are also rapidly going global, exporting large quantities to Western Europe, Northern Europe, Russia, the Balkans, America, Africa, Asia and other places.
In 1905, Voiturette, one of the most classic models in Koda’s history, came out. This car uses a 7-horsepower 1.005-liter twin-cylinder 4-stroke engine, a three-speed gearbox, and rear-wheel drive. The car may be small but it has become a symbol of the country's automotive industry. With the Voiturette A?koda it has established a solid position in the rapidly growing global market. In 1906, Voiturette Type A and Type B cars began continuous production. In the following autumn car tour show of the German Automobile Club, the Voiturette designed by engineer Emil Ritzler won the title of "Automobile Golden Corolla" .
Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement, who are full of "mechanical flavor", realize the importance of the development of automobile core technology. In 1924, L&K began manufacturing aircraft engines. It was licensed from a 12-cylinder 12CC air engine manufactured by Lorraine-Dietrich in France. Koda during this period was full of mechanical technology, and this was an important reason why it was able to dominate the world in the next 1930s.
Little story: In 1924, ?koda obtained a license to produce the luxury model Hispano Suiza. This extremely luxurious car was the most expensive car in the world at the time. Its chassis was even more expensive than the Rolls-Royce at the time. The whole Les car was still expensive, and it became the exclusive vehicle for the princes and nobles of Europe at that time.
1926-1936: World-renowned
The wheel of history is rolling forward, and the economic damage caused by the outbreak of World War I did not hinder ?koda's progress. After the war, in 1925, ?koda cooperated with the ?koda Pilsen Group, the country's largest industrial group at the time, and began to produce cars named after ?koda. This significant merger marks the birth of KODA as an automobile brand.
In the ideal plan of Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement, in addition to cars, ?koda will also produce trucks, buses, agricultural machinery and even aircraft engines. At the same time, Koda started a revolution in automobile production - the introduction of the assembly line. ?koda reached a production level of 85 cars per day in 1930, which was nothing short of miraculous at the time.
With their unremitting efforts, KODA became a car brand with excellent production performance and luxurious decoration, and began to be famous throughout Europe and even the world. From then on, KODA entered the golden period of its initial development.
In the mid-1930s, Koda was booming and sales increased sharply. It was at this time that the classic Superb series began its era. One of the more representative ones is the 640, which was produced in 1934. The car was huge and had sufficient storage space. At the same time, due to effective cost control, the price of the 640 was more approachable. Therefore, the 640 was popular at the time. It received widespread attention and achieved great success in sales. The last model of the Superb series is the 919. This car has completely broken away from the "mode" of the Superb series in terms of appearance and design. It has made leaps and bounds in technology and design, but it is also not expensive like the 640 and is very popular among consumers. People like it.
At the same time, ?koda's sports genes also began to show their compelling charm. In 1936, in the Monte Carlo Rally, the ?koda sports model Popular won second place in "Monte Carlo".
Short story: In 1936, ?koda held the first monumental driving trip around the world. Members of the development team drove the Popular ?koda car and completed the trip in 98 days. This marks to some extent that Koda has become a globally recognized automobile brand.
1936-1991: Continuation of the legend
Koda, which was born in Europe, is destined to follow a bumpy road. The outbreak of World War II hindered the development of ?koda to a certain extent. Fortunately, after the end of World War II, ?koda rose again through its own efforts and began to rebuild its glory step by step. The Popular launched by Koda in 1946, the Octavia launched in 1954 and the successor model Felicia have all become models in the history of Koda. The Koda 1000MB launched in the 1960s, the Favorit launched in the 1980s, and the elegant Koda Favorit hatchback sedan launched for the first time at the Bruno International Motor Show in 1987 have all become classic models in automobile history.
The 130 RS sports car launched by Koda in 1975 became a legend in motor sports and won numerous honors. ?koda achieved its greatest post-war success with this car at the 1977 Monte Carlo Rally, where the 130 Rs finished first and second in the 1300ccm class, making the car the most successful in its class. car model. Six years later, in the 1981 European Track Car Championship, the 130 RS scored perfect scores in six rounds of this level, tying the best result achieved by the BMW 635 and becoming an immortal myth in motor sports. Koda's Classic Revival: 1991-2000
Joining the public and reshaping Koda
In the 1990s, Koda was once again brewing new changes. In 1991, ?koda joined the Volkswagen Group. This change, 85 years after it started producing cars, is historically comparable to the decision to create the ?koda brand at that time. As a model of automotive technology, Volkswagen's technology and market strength are the cornerstone and backing for Koda to achieve all-round glory. With the support of Volkswagen's technology, management, talents and other aspects, ?koda has reshaped its high-quality and personalized brand image, and has made great progress in product quality and marketing. ?koda has since become a true world best-selling car, and This has become a globally famous brand under the Volkswagen Group alongside brands such as Audi, Volkswagen, Bentley, and Lamborghini.
“We can’t develop everything in a car, but we will keep ?koda constantly innovative, and that means electronic and design features.
"Volkswagen's support for Koda is first reflected in design. Koda has built an "innovation park" that can accommodate 1,300 designers and engineers next to the main factory. This not only ensures that Volkswagen's technological genes can be obtained in Koda A good transfer, and also laid a solid foundation for ?koda's future technological development.
Through its blood connection with Volkswagen, ?koda has established and owned a stronger brand than most car manufacturers in Western Europe. Targeted and intelligent supply and distribution network ?koda also brings suppliers directly into its production workshop - this innovation not only reduces ?koda's inventory costs to almost zero, but also allows it to work more closely with suppliers. Continuously improve product quality in contact.
At the same time, as a century-old brand, Volkswagen has not ignored the continuation of KODA’s brand proposition and personality. “Establishing a KODA University will ensure that employees not only accept the country. The idea of ??"receiving education from Koda in addition to education" has become a reality today.
If Koda's heart is Bohemia, then his brain is Germany. Through in-depth knowledge of Volkswagen technology Understand and realize that ?koda has made remarkable achievements around the world, and cars with the ?koda logo are fully worthy of people's trust and expectations.
If one million ?koda Favorit rolls off the production line, it is. A symbol of Koda's revival in the 1990s, the first successful example of the integration of Koda culture and mass technology was the Felicia model. As of 2001, sales of the Felicia model had exceeded 1,420,000 units. The Octavia launched in 2009 was Koda's first model under the Volkswagen Group's shared platform strategy, and it became a symbol of Koda's revitalization of its corporate image at the 58th International Auto Show held in Frankfurt in 1999. On 2018, KODA released the Fabia, a compact car developed for the first time in the field of hatchback models. This car made consumers focus on KODA again, and its appearance also heralded KODA's path to glory.
2000-2006: Koda's journey to glory Before Koda joined the Volkswagen Group, it mainly produced only one model, the Favorit, with an annual output of about 180,000 units. Within 15 years after the merger, this. The single-species car manufacturer turned into a dynamic company: 4 major model series, annual production of about 500,000 cars, sold in more than 90 countries or regions around the world.
Enter 21. ?koda in the century has ushered in its own glory in the true sense. Through the understanding of popular culture, the absorption of technology, and the absorption of experience, ?koda has become the most dynamic brand under Volkswagen and has an outstanding reputation. The Volkswagen Group continues to seek global strategic brands with a wider market space. In terms of global market strategy, today's Koda not only focuses on the original European markets such as Germany and the United Kingdom, but also pays increasing attention to Asia, a new market with huge potential. Detlef Wittig, Chairman of the Management Board of the Koda Auto Group, described the company's future development: "In order to ensure the company's continued development in the next few years, on the one hand the company will pay great attention to the development of the Chinese and Russian markets in particular. On the other hand, we will continue as always Improve production capacity and efficiency and continue to maintain the success of cost-saving projects."
Perhaps the biggest reason for Koda's success is the persistent and precise pursuit of pride in a century-old brand - pride in craftsmanship, pride in design, and pride in the future.
If in the distant years, people used ?koda to mean "the most outstanding and most prestigious things", then in such a complicated contemporary era, ?koda is becoming a brand that the world looks up to in the world. It continues to enrich its life, but what remains unchanged is that it is still synonymous with nobility and prestige.