Skoda Octavia A4/Tour все о технической части + история создания

In the early 1990s, very serious political and, subsequently, economic tectonic processes were taking place. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the unification of East and West Germany, the changing political models in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Albania, the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, and other such events. In short, in all the countries of Eastern Europe, everything was crumbling, changing, and being reformed. At the same time, the population was becoming poorer, purchasing power naturally declined, businesses were closing, and so on. It was just like in the early 1990s. The planned economy was gone, and a market economy hadn't been built yet. And they hadn't even figured out how to do it. And imagine this situation. You're one of the leaders of the Czech automobile manufacturer Škoda. A large plant. With history, with traditions. With an excellent team of workers, design engineers, and so on. You recently launched a new car – the Škoda Favorit. A good car. But sales aren't really there. Simply because it's impossible to sell anything on the domestic market, or in the markets of former socialist countries, because the majority of people simply don't have the money, while in Western Europe they produce and sell their own cars, which in many ways are much more interesting than your products. And you really want to save the company. To keep it going, to avoid laying off the team, to avoid losing your job, after all... How can you do this? How can you dramatically improve product quality to compete on equal terms with German, French, and Swedish automakers... How can you organize sales in the European market? Where can you get the money for all this? And there was no time—your company's production line had already slowed down, and if you don't do anything, everything will stop... In my opinion, there's only one solution. You need to merge with a large, powerful automaker, or rather, sell yourself to one. Not to get money, but to save the company. Skoda's management did just that. Initially, negotiations for a sale or merger began with 24 automakers. Soon, their number was reduced to eight, and then to two. The Renault/Volvo alliance and VAG offered the best terms for production reorganization. Ultimately, the choice was made in favor of the Germans from Volkswagen. So, in 1991, the Volkswagen-Audi Group purchased a third of Škoda's shares, adding another brand and plant to its portfolio, while the Czechs had the opportunity not only to survive but also to develop. And so, the collaboration began. German and Czech engineers began work on improving the Škoda Favorit. The result of this work was, ostensibly, a new model – the Škoda Felicia. A completely competitive car. However, the Felicia was not a completely new model. It was a highly redesigned and improved version, but still an old Škoda Favorit in design. Nevertheless, Felicia sales began in 1994 in Europe. And two years later, in 1996, production of the Škoda Octavia began. And that's a completely different story. Volkswagen's new platform, the PQ34, was the same as the Volkswagen Golf 4 and Audi A3... Cutting-edge galvanizing technology, German suspension, a completely new electric system, a completely different comfort, handling, and overall car quality did their job. The Octavia A4 didn't just sell well, it sold extremely well. It became not just popular, but mega-popular. It was the Octavia that pulled the Škoda brand out of crisis, gave impetus to further development, and it became the flagship model for the Czech manufacturer for many years to come. Our projects: AutoKultura Car Service, St. Petersburg, st. Telezhnaya St., 37 U +7-921-953-35-10 Auto Kultura Car Service, St. Petersburg, Kamskaya St., 7 +7-921-955-35-10 Auto Kultura Car Selection Agency, St. Petersburg, Telezhnaya St., 37 U +7-931-955-33-55 Chaika Canteen, Bakery, and Deli, St. Petersburg, Telezhnaya St., 37 U +7-911-842-00-48