Today, the first SUPERB iV rolled off the line at the ŠKODA AUTO Kvasiny plant. Carmaker ŠKODA AUTO has comprehensively prepared the site for the manufacturing of the first electrified production model in the company’s history, investing approximately 12 million euros in renovation work. The new ŠKODA SUPERB iV plug-in hybrid is made exclusively in Kvasiny, where it is built on the same production line as SUPERB variants that are driven solely by a combustion engine.
Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Production and Logistics, said, “The beginning of serial production of the ŠKODA SUPERB iV is a major step towards the future. Over the past few months, we have rigorously made the provisions required to begin manufacturing our first plug-in hybrid at the Kvasiny plant. Today is therefore also the result of a great team effort.”
ŠKODA AUTO invested approximately 12 million euros in preparing the Kvasiny site for the specific requirements of manufacturing the first electrified ŠKODA production model. Body production and the assembly hall, for example, have been modified (see infographic). Thanks to the renovation work, the SUPERB iV plug-in hybrid can be built on the same production line as models featuring a conventional combustion engine. As the two drive variants have different floorpans, some of the equipment in the body shop had to be adapted or installed.
The hall used for quality control was completely remodelled: workplaces needed to be rearranged for the manufacturing and commissioning of vehicles as part of the production process. Within the production line, ŠKODA AUTO also installed an additional container for chassis frames as well as a manipulator for high-voltage and 12-volt batteries.
Furthermore, ŠKODA AUTO has pressed ahead with staff development relating to electromobility. To this end, the car manufacturer built a new training centre in Kvasiny; since then, almost 5,500 members of staff have completed their training there.
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SOURCE: ŠKODA
