The independent European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) has assessed the ŠKODA KAROQ.
The compact SUV is the Czech car manufacturer’s latest model to receive the five-star rating, making the KAROQ one of the safest compact SUVs on the road today. 

“We are delighted that the new ŠKODA KAROQ has also passed the Euro NCAP tests with flying colours,” says ŠKODA Board Member for Technical Development, Christian Strube. “We are constantly working on optimising the passive and active safety of our models and developing occupant and pedestrian protection, as well as assistance systems. Numerous driver assistance systems are installed in the KAROQ that would otherwise only be found in higher vehicle classes,” says Strube. 

Euro NCAP awarded the occupant protection of adult passengers an excellent 93%. In addition, Euro NCAP highlighted the protection of the cervical spine in rear-end collisions. The compact SUV’s emergency braking system worked reliably at low urban speeds and prevented almost all collisions. Euro NCAP also awarded the full score for the protection of pedestrians’ legs. The compact SUV also protected pedestrians’ heads well in the event of in a collision. 

Following the ŠKODA KODIAQ, the ŠKODA KAROQ is the brand’s second vehicle to receive a five-star rating in 2017. ŠKODA is currently one of the few car manufacturers whose entire model range has received a five-star rating in the Euro NCAP test. 

The KAROQ owes its outstanding passive safety to its high torsional rigidity, generous deformation zones in the extremely secure cabin and the use of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steels, for example in the side beams. In addition, the compact SUV has seven standard airbags: driver and passenger airbags, side airbags, head airbags and knee airbag. Child seats can be fixed in using Top-Tether or the Isofix system, which is also available for the front passenger seat. In the event of a rear-end collision, specially designed headrests (WOKS = Whiplash Optimized Headrests) reduce the risk of whiplash for the driver and front passenger. The proactive occupant protection system also tightens the front seatbelts in the event of a collision and closes any open windows including the sunroof. The system comes as standard in many countries. 

The ŠKODA KAROQ is equipped with a large number of cameras as well as radar and sensor-based driver assistance systems. The front radar assistant, which includes city emergency braking with person recognition, helps to prevent accidents with pedestrians. Manoeuvre assist and pulling-away assist help the driver in reduced visibility and warn of hidden dangers. 

Other safety features on board the ŠKODA KAROQ include an adaptive-distance assistant, a lane-keeping, camera-based traffic sign recognition, an emergency call function, a traffic jam assistant and fatigue detection. 

Euro NCAP is an association of European transport ministries, automobile clubs and insurance associations based in Belgium. The organisation performs crash tests on current vehicle models and then evaluates the safety of the vehicles based on available safety systems. Euro NCAP was founded in 1997. In recent years, the crash test procedures have been continuously tightened and currently include various collision scenarios. While initially only the results of the crash tests were assessed, the evaluation of the active safety systems is now also included in the overall rating.
Article source: www.skoda-auto.com
Production of ŠKODA electric cars is a major step in the implementation of ŠKODA Strategy 2025. From 2019, ŠKODA will produce electrical components for plug-in hybrid models.
ŠKODA AUTO is going to produce models that run purely on electric at their Mladá Boleslav site. As of 2019, the brand will also be manufacturing electrical components for plug-in hybrids. The production of electric vehicles and parts is a significant step in the implementation of the brand's future strategy. 

“ŠKODA's future will be electric," says ŠKODA AUTO CEO Bernhard Maier. "By 2025, we plan to offer five purely electrically powered models in various segments. We are pleased that the first all-electric ŠKODA will be built in the Czech Republic. This decision underlines the Group’s confidence in the ŠKODA workforce. This is an important step for the future of the SKODA brand and the Czech Republic as an automotive location.” 

In addition to producing electric cars, the Mladá Boleslav plant will also be manufacturing electrical components for plug-in hybrid models of several Volkswagen Group brands as early as 2019. 

ŠKODA's first electrified series model will be launched in 2019: the ŠKODA SUPERB with plug-in hybrid drive, which will roll off the Kvasiny plant production line. Mladá Boleslav will then manufacture the first purely battery electric model in 2020. At this year's Auto Shanghai, the manufacturer presented its vision of electric and autonomous driving with the electric study ŠKODA VISION E. 

Electrifying the ŠKODA model range and producing electrical components for the Volkswagen Group are among the cornerstones of ŠKODA Strategy 2025. Other key areas of action include digitising products and processes, conquering new markets and expanding the company’s business areas from traditional automotive engineering to a wide range of mobility services.
Article source: www.skoda-auto.com
On course for a record once again: Together with its production partners worldwide ŠKODA AUTO has already produced one million vehicles this year, making it the fourth year in a row that the number of vehicles rolling off the production line has reached seven figures. Never before has this milestone been achieved as early as in October of a calendar year. The ŠKODA models OCTAVIA, FABIA and SUPERB have made the greatest contribution to this success. Additionally, the large SUV, the ŠKODA KODIAQ, promises further growth for 2017. The ŠKODA KAROQ will also provide impetus for growth. The company is currently introducing the compact SUV to the markets, thereby continuing its SUV campaign.

Mladá Boleslav, 31 October 2017: “Reaching the mark of one million cars produced is an important milestone for us this year,” said ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Production and Logistics, Michael Oeljeklaus. “This number, which has now already been reached, underlines the performance of our production sites as well as the expertise of our team. This year, we are once again aiming for a new production record,” added Oeljeklaus.

ŠKODA AUTO has reached together with its production partners worldwide the mark of one million ŠKODA vehicles produced in a financial year for the fourth consecutive time. The long-established company from Mladá Boleslav has reached this milestone earlier than ever before. In addition to the high demand for its bestseller, the ŠKODA OCTAVIA, FABIA and the SUPERB model ranges, the successful debut of the ŠKODA KODIAQ also made a contribution to increasing the production volume. Furthermore, the market launch of the large SUV in February this year marked the start of ŠKODA AUTO’s SUV campaign as part of the 2025 Strategy. As the most recent addition to the ŠKODA family, the ŠKODA KAROQ compact SUV is currently being introduced to the markets.

The landmark of one million vehicles produced, which was reached at the end of October, underlines once more ŠKODA AUTO’s positive development over the last 25 years in particular. Since joining Volkswagen Group in 1991, the Czech car manufacturer has increased its production sevenfold and transformed itself from a regional operator into an established high-volume manufacturer. Whilst there was only one model range rolling off the production line back then, today it is seven model ranges and over 40 model variants.

As it has grown, the company has been cultivating an international and efficient production network. In its home country of the Czech Republic, besides its main plant in Mladá Boleslav, the manufacturer operates further production plants in Kvasiny and Vrchlabí. In addition, ŠKODA vehicles also roll off the line at Volkswagen Group plants or with local partners in China, India, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Algeria and Slovakia.

ŠKODA AUTO has set a course for long-term growth beyond 2017. The roadmap for this comes in the shape of the 2025 Strategy, with which the Czech manufacturer is preparing itself for the upcoming challenges in the automotive industry. The future strategy’s key topics include electromobility, the digitalisation of the company, internationalisation and new mobility services. With this, ŠKODA AUTO aims to grow in two dimensions: on the one hand, vehicle sales are to be increased further and on the other hand, new business areas, such as digital mobility services, are to create a broader base for growth.

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

ŠKODA KAROQ wins ‘small SUV’ category in the ‘Bild am Sonntag’ and ‘Auto Bild’ readers’ choice
The car magazine ‘Auto Bild’ and the ‘Bild am Sonntag’ newspaper have awarded the new ŠKODA KAROQ with the 2017 Golden Steering Wheel. Readers from over 20 European countries had voted the KAROQ into the final of the ‘small SUV’ category. In the end, a jury of experts chose ŠKODA’s newcomer as the winner after a number of challenging test drives. 

“With the KAROQ, which sets benchmarks in many areas, we are consistently pressing ahead with our successful SUV campaign,” said ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Technical Development, Christian Strube. “I am delighted that the latest addition to our model range is also going down so well. The Golden Steering Wheel shows that with the KAROQ, we are currently offering the most attractive overall package in the compact SUV category,” added Strube.

The Golden Steering Wheel is one of Europe’s most coveted car awards. This year, a total of 42 models competed, split into the following categories: small and compact cars, small SUVs, large SUVs, mid-size and executive cars, and sports cars. 

The ŠKODA KAROQ competed in the ‘small SUV’ category – with twelve nominees, the category containing the most participants. First of all, readers of ‘Auto Bild’, ‘Bild am Sonntag’ and their sister publications in more than 20 European countries voted for their four favourites in each vehicle category. During challenging test drives in Balocco in Northern Italy, the finalists were appraised by a jury of 53 experts including racing drivers, engineers, celebrities, designers and editors of leading European car magazines. 

In typical ŠKODA style, the KAROQ impressed the judges with qualities such as comfort and a generous amount of space. In addition, the jury awarded more points for connectivity: the KAROQ impresses with the latest generation of infotainment systems, which can be operated via a capacitive touchscreen. The KAROQ is also the first ŠKODA to offer a freely programmable, digital instrument panel. Thanks to an LTE module and Wi-Fi hotspot, passengers in the ŠKODA KAROQ are ‘always online’. Furthermore, the compact SUV impressed the testers with its powerful drive and winning chassis set-up. 
Article source: www.skoda-auto.com
Deliveries in the first nine months of the year increased by 3.6 percent to 871,100 vehicles.
ŠKODA AUTO’s success story continues with the brand once again recording profitable growth. In the first three quarters of the year, the Czech car manufacturer increased its global deliveries to customers by 3.6 percent compared to the same period in 2016 to 871,100 vehicles. Sales revenue rose by 22.0 percent compared to the first nine months of the previous year to 12.3 billion euros. ŠKODA AUTO posted a significant increase of 28.3 percent on the previous year’s operating profit. Both the extensive revisions to the model range and the large SUV ŠKODA KODIAQ’s very successful sales launch are the main drivers of this positive development. 

"The significant increases in sales and profit in the first three quarters of the year demonstrate that we have devised an effective strategy," says ŠKODA AUTO CEO Bernhard Maier. "The full potential of our SUV campaign is now unfolding. The KODIAQ has been very well received by our customers. Now, we are launching the little brother – the ŠKODA KAROQ." 

Demand for the ŠKODA KODIAQ on the global markets has been high since its launch in February 2017, and by the end of September, 61,600 vehicles had already been delivered. With the brand’s first large SUV, ŠKODA is conquering new customer groups. The next stage of the SUV campaign is the compact ŠKODA KAROQ, which has been available in the first markets since October. 

In the first nine months of 2017, the automobile manufacturer’s sales revenue rose by 22.0 percent to 12.3 billion euros (January to September 2016: 10.1 billion euros). ŠKODA AUTO also achieved significant double-digit growth in operating profit, which increased by 28.3 percent to 1.2 billion euros (January to September 2016: 940 million euros). 

ŠKODA AUTO once again surpassed the previous year's return on sales, which stood at 9.8 percent at the end of September 2017 (January to September 2016: 9.3 percent). 

"With these excellent results, ŠKODA AUTO proves its financial strength and profitability," says ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Finance Klaus-Dieter Schürmann. "The new ŠKODA KODIAQ contributed significantly to the improvement in earnings. The continually increasing profitability is largely attributable to positive volume and mix effects." 

ŠKODA AUTO’s earnings strength provides a reliable financial basis for the further development of the company and brand. The core areas of this development are defined in Strategy 2025, which lays out the brand’s electromobility plans and its entry into new digital business fields, as well as the continuation of the model and SUV campaigns.

ŠKODA AUTO Group – Key figures for January to September 2017*:

 
Units 2017 2016 Change in %
Deliveries to customers no. of cars 871,100 840,900 3.6
Deliveries to customers excluding China no. of cars 658,500 615,700 7.0
Production** no. of cars 648,500 573,800 13.0
Sales*** no. of cars 699,600 605,800 15.5
Sales revenue million EUR 12,338 10,113 22.0
Operating profit million EUR 1,206 940 28.3
Return on sales percent 9,8 9,3 -
Net cash flow million EUR 1,690 928 82.1
 
* Percentage deviations are calculated from non-rounded figures
** Comprises the production of the ŠKODA brand, excluding production in China,  Slovakia, Russia and India, but including other Group brands such as SEAT, Audi and VW; vehicle production excluding part/complete kits
*** Comprises sales of the ŠKODA brand to sales companies and includes other Group brands, such as SEAT, Audi and VW; vehicle sales excluding part/complete kits 
 
Article source: www.skoda-auto.com

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