Skoda
The company called Skoda, like many other car manufacturers was not originally in the automobile business. Skoda began building bicycles as early as 1895. The first motorized vehicle created by Skoda was a motorcyclette in 1898. In trials, however, the motorcyclette proved to be dangerous and unreliable.
It was back to the drawing board. In 1900, the company released another motorized bicycle that was safer and more reliable, the Voiturette A. The press credited the company as the makers of the first motorcycle. During World War I, Skoda focused on war production. After the war, the company began producing trucks. In the next fifty years Skoda gained a reputation for building very tough reliable cars with models like the 445 Skoda Octavia, Skoda 1000 MB, and Felicia. 1987 brought the Favorit model.
The Italian design sold well in the UK and Denmark. In 1991, the Volkswagen Group acquired ownership of Skoda. After the acquisition took place, the common opinion of the company changed. With Volkswagen funding, the company was able to take measures to improve not only design but engineering of new models. In 2007 Skoda announced the entrance into the Australian market. Great things are expected from Skoda in the coming years. |