The ŠKODA OCTAVIA is the heart of the Czech brand and tops the bestseller lists in numerous European countries. A rugged SCOUT and two further sporty RS variants have now been added to the fourth-generation OCTAVIA portfolio. By electrifying the powertrain with new mild hybrid technology and two OCTAVIA iV plug-in hybrids, ŠKODA has reduced the OCTAVIA’s CO2 emissions even further. The iV variants of the bestseller can travel up to 60 km in the WLTP cycle without producing any emissions; the combustion engines have also continuously been optimised. They are now even more efficient. Furthermore, ŠKODA has lowered nitrogen oxide emissions from the new EVO generation of diesel engines by about 80 per cent using the ‘twin dosing’ process. With a choice of two body variants, front- or all-wheel drive, manual or DSG transmission as well as five drive systems – petrol, diesel, CNG, mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid – every ŠKODA OCTAVIA customer will find their perfect match. The centrepiece of the OCTAVIA’s all-wheel drive system is a sixth-generation electronically controlled multi-plate clutch, which – among other things – is significantly lighter than its predecessor following a comprehensive technical update.
Bernhard Maier, ŠKODA AUTO CEO, said, “The new generation of the OCTAVIA is one of the most important model updates for ŠKODA this year and is a key part of what is currently the biggest product campaign in our company’s history. We have refined our icon’s core virtues even further and have also taken another major step forward in terms of design, connectivity and safety. I am convinced that we will win the hearts of our customers once again with this great overall package.”
The success story of the ŠKODA OCTAVIA began in 1959. As the brand’s eighth model since the Second World War and the eighth to feature ultra-modern independent suspension for all wheels, it was given a name meaning ‘the eighth’ in Latin, a name which has since become synonymous with the entire brand. Next came the first OCTAVIA COMBI estate variant in 1961, which was produced until 1971. A total of 360,000 OCTAVIAs were built, including more than 54,000 units of the OCTAVIA COMBI. The first generation of the modern-day edition made its debut in April 1996. The unmistakable hatchback with a large tailgate was followed in March 1998 by the even more spacious OCTAVIA COMBI, which was particularly successful in Europe. By November 2010, 970,000 hatchbacks and more than 470,000 COMBIs had been sold. In 2004, the second modern day generation was launched. Of this, 1.7 million hatchbacks and 870,000 estates had rolled off the assembly line by 2013. The third generation introduced in November 2012 was also a huge success – a total of more than 2.5 million customers had opted for this OCTAVIA by spring 2020. Since 1959, ŠKODA has produced more than seven million OCTAVIAs.
SOURCE: ŠKODA
