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History of Audi
The
company traces its origins back to 1899 and August Horch. The first
Horch automobile was produced in 1901 in Zwickau. In 1910, Horch was
forced out of the company he had founded. He then started a new company
in Zwickau and continued using the Horch brand. His former partners
sued him for trademark infringement and a German court determined that
the Horch brand belonged to his former company. August Horch was forced
to refrain from using his own family name in his new car business. As
the word "horch!" translates to "hark!" in German, August Horch settled
on the Latin equivalent of his name - "audi!". It is also popularly
believed that Audi is an acronym which stands for "Auto Union
Deutschland Ingolstadt". Audi produces over 2 million vehicles annually
at its main production site in Ingolstadt. Audi has another production
plant in Neckarsulm.
Audi started with a 2612 cc (2.6
Liter) model followed by a four cylinder model with 3564 cc (3.6 L), as
well as 4680 cc(4.7 L) and 5720 cc(5.7L) models. These cars were
successful even in sporting events. August Horch left the Audi company
in 1920. The first six cylinder model ,4655 cc(4.7 L) appeared in 1924.
In 1928, the company was acquired by J S Rasmussen, owner of DKW, who
bought the same year the remains of the US automobile manufacturer,
Rickenbacker including the manufacturing equipment for eight cylinder
engines. These engines were used in Audi Zwickau and Audi Dresden
models that were launched in 1929. At the same time, six cylinder and a
small four cylinder (licensed from Peugeot) models were manufactured.
Audi cars of that era were luxurious cars equipped with special
bodywork.
Pronunciation: Audi is commonly pronounced as
"odd-ee", but the correct form rhymes with "howdy". The origins of Audi
The company traces its origins back to 1899 and August Horch. The first
Horch automobile was produced in 1901 in Zwickau. In 1910, Horch was
forced out of the company he had founded. He then started a new company
in Zwickau and continued using the Horch brand. His former partners
sued him for trademark infringement and a German court determined that
the Horch brand belonged to his former company. August Horch was forced
to refrain from using his own family name in his new car business. As
the word "horch!" translates to "hark!" in German, August Horch settled
on the Latin equivalent of his name - "audi!". It is also popularly
believed that Audi is an acronym which stands for "Auto Union
Deutschland Ingolstadt". Audi produces over 2 million vehicles annually
at its main production site in Ingolstadt. Audi has another production
plant in Neckarsulm. Audi started with a 2612 cc (2.6 Liter) model
followed by a four cylinder model with 3564 cc (3.6 L), as well as 4680
cc(4.7 L) and 5720 cc(5.7L) models. These cars were successful even in
sporting events. August Horch left the Audi company in 1920. The first
six cylinder model ,4655 cc(4.7 L) appeared in 1924. In 1928, the
company was acquired by J S Rasmussen, owner of DKW, who bought the
same year the remains of the US automobile manufacturer, Rickenbacker
including the manufacturing equipment for eight cylinder engines. These
engines were used in Audi Zwickau and Audi Dresden models that were
launched in 1929. At the same time, six cylinder and a small four
cylinder (licensed from Peugeot) models were manufactured. Audi cars of
that era were luxurious cars equipped with special bodywork.
Pronunciation: Audi is commonly pronounced as "odd-ee", but the correct
form rhymes with "howdy".
The Auto Union Era:
In 1932 Audi merged with Horch, DKW and Wanderer to form the Auto
Union. Before World War II, Auto Union used the four interlinked rings
that make up the Audi badge today, representing these four brands. This
badge was used, however, only on Auto Union racing cars in that period
while the member companies used their own names and emblems. The
technological development became more and more concentrated and some
Audi models were propelled by Horch or Wanderer built engines. During
World War II the Horch/Auto Union produced the SDKFZ 222 armored car,
which was used mostly in the Polish Blitzkrieg conquest and North
African Campaign. It was powered by an 81 hp Horch/Auto Union V8 Engine
which had a top speed of 50 miles per hour.
Another vehicle
which was used in World War II to shuttle German military officials
safely was known as the Kraftfahrzeug (KFZ 11) or the Horch Type 80.
The military used it as a light transport vehicle which was used in the
German Conquest of Poland.
Pause and a New Start:
Auto Union plants were heavily bombed and partly destroyed during World
War II. After the war, Zwickau soon became part of the German
Democratic Republic and Auto Union headquarters were relocated to
Ingolstadt in 1949. In that period, the four interlinked rings were
used together with the DKW badge. The company focused efforts on the
DKW brand, but their two-stroke engines became unpopular. In 1958,
Daimler-Benz acquired 88 per cent of Auto Union and the next year
became its sole owner. Daimler-Benz developed a 72 hp (54 kW) four-door
sedan, with a modern four stroke engine driving the front wheels. This
model (later known as the Audi 72) appeared in September 1965,
"relaunching" the Audi brand. Daimler-Benz sold the company to
Volkswagen in 1964; subsequently, Volkswagen's purchase of Auto Union
has led to the modernization of VW to which it gained expertise in
manufacturing water-cooled vehicles. As of December 23, 2005, VW no
longer places previously produced aircooled powerplants into production
vehicles.
In 1969, Audi merged with NSU, based in Neckarsulm near
Stuttgart. In the 1950s NSU had been the world's largest manufacturer
of motorcycles but had moved on to produce small cars like the NSU
Prinz (the TT and TTS versions are still popular as vintage race cars).
NSU then focused on new rotary engines according to the ideas of Felix
Wankel. In 1967, the new NSU Ro 80 was a space-age car well ahead of
its time in technical details such as aerodynamics, light weight,
safety, et cetera, but teething problems with the rotary engines put an
end to the independence of NSU. Presently several lines of Audi cars
are produced in Neckarsulm.
The mid-sized car that NSU had
been working on, the K70, was intended to slot between the rear-engined
Prinz models and the futuristic Ro 80. However, Volkswagen took the K70
for its own range, spelling the end of NSU as a separate brand.
The Modern Audi Era:
The first Audi of the modern era was the Audi 100 of 1968. This was
soon joined by the Audi 80/Fox (which formed the basis for the 1973
Volkswagen Passat) in 1972 and the Audi 50 (later, rebadged as the
Volkswagen Polo) in 1974.
The Audi image at this time was a
conservative one, and so, a proposal from chassis engineer Jorg
Bensinger was accepted to develop the four-wheel drive technology in
Volkswagen's Iltis military vehicle for an Audi performance car and
rally racing car. The performance car was named the "Quattro," a
turbocharged coupé which was also the first large-scale production
vehicle to feature full-time all-wheel drive through a center
differential (not counting the earlier Jensen FF, produced in small
numbers). Commonly referred to as the "Ur-Quattro" (the "Ur-" prefix is
a German augmentative used, in this case, to mean "original" and is
also applied to the first generation of Audi's S4 and S6 sport sedans,
as in "UrS4" and "UrS6"), few of these vehicles were produced (all
hand-built by a single team) but the model was a great success in
rallying. Prominent wins proved the viability of all-wheel drive
racecars, and the Audi name became associated with advances in
automotive technology,
In 1986, as the Passat-based Audi 80
was beginning to develop a kind of "grandfather's car" image, the type
89 was introduced. This completely new development sold extremely well.
However, its modern and dynamic exterior belied the low performance of
its base engine, and its base package was quite spartan (even the
passenger-side mirror was an option.) In 1987, Audi put forward a new
and very elegant Audi 90, which had a much superior set of standard
features. In the early nineties, sales began to slump for the Audi 80
series, and some basic construction problems started to surface.
This decline in sales was not helped in the USA by a 60 Minutes report
which purported to show that Audi automobiles suffered from "unintended
acceleration". The 60 Minutes report was based on customer reports of
acceleration when the brake pedal was pushed. Independent investigators
concluded that this was most likely due to a close placement of the
accelerator and brake pedals (unlike American cars), and the inability,
when not paying attention, to distinguish between the two. (In race
cars, when manually downshifting under heavy braking, the accelerator
has to be used in order to match revs properly, so both pedals have to
be close to each other to be operated by the right foot at once, toes
on the brake, heels on the gas.). This did not become an issue in
Europe, possibly due to more widespread experience among European
drivers with manual transmissions.
60 Minutes ignored this
fact and rigged a car to perform in an uncontrolled manner. The report
immediately crushed Audi sales, and Audi renamed the affected model
(The 5000 became the 100/200 in 1989, as in Germany and elsewhere).
Audi had contemplated withdrawing from the American market until sales
began to recover in the mid-1990s. The turning point for Audi was the
sale of the new A4 in 1996, and with the release of the A4/6/8 series,
which was developed together with VW and other sister brands (so called
"platforms").
Currently, Audi's sales are growing strongly
in Europe, and the company is still renowned for having among the best
build quality of any mainstream auto manufacturer. 2004 marked the 11th
straight increase in sales, selling 779,441 vehicles worldwide. Record
figures were recorded from 21 out of about 50 major sales markets. The
largest sales increases came from Eastern Europe (+19.3%), Africa
(+17.2%) and the Middle East (+58.5%). In March of 2005, Audi is
building its first two dealerships in India following its high increase
in sales in that region. Audi's sales continually increase in the
American market as well. The addition of a SUV and the R line cars to
the lineup and increasing technology sharing with its sister companies
(VW, Porsche, Bugatti, Lamborghini, etc.) has done nothing but made
Audi more advanced and exciting!
Audi Racing
Audi has competed in (and sometimes dominated) numerous forms of auto
racing. Audi's rich tradition in motorsport began with the Auto Union
in the 1930s. In the 1990s Audi dominated the Touring and Super Touring
categories of motor racing after success in circuit racing Stateside.
Audi Rally Racing
In 1980 Audi released the Quattro, an all wheel drive turbocharged car
that went on to win rallies and races worldwide. It is considered one
of the most significant rally cars of all time because it was one of
the first to take advantage of the then-recently changed rules which
allowed the use of all-wheel-drive in competition racing. Many critics
doubted the viability of all-wheel-drive racers, thinking them to be
too heavy and complex, yet the Quattro was an instant success, winning
its first rally on its first outing. It won competition after
competition for the next two years.
In 1984 Audi launched
the "Sport Quattro" car which dominated races in Monte Carlo and Sweden
with Audi taking all podium finishes but succumbed to problems further
into World Rally Championship contention. After another season mired in
mediocre finishes, Walter Röhrl finished the season in his Sport
Quattro S1 and helped place Audi second in the manufacturer's points.
Audi also received rally honors in the Hong Kong to Beijing rally in
that same year. Michèle Mouton, the first female WRC driver to win a
round of the World Rally Championship and a driver for Audi, took the
Sport Quattro S1, now simply called the S1 and raced in the Pikes Peak
Hill Climb. The climb race pits a driver and car to drive up a 4,302
meter high mountain in Colorado and in 1985, Michèle Mouton set a new
record of 11:25.39 and being the first woman to set a Pikes Peak
record. In 1986, Audi formally left international rally racing
following an accident in Portugal involving driver Joaquim Santos in
his Ford RS200. Santos swerved to avoid hitting spectators in the road,
and left the track into the crowd of spectators on the side, killing
three and injuring 30. Bobby Unser used an Audi in that same year to
claim a new record for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb at 11:09.22.
Audi Motorsports in the USA
In 1987, Walter Röhrl claimed the title for Audi setting a new Pikes
Peak record of 10:47.85 in his Audi S1 which he retired from the WRC
two years earlier. The Audi S1 employed Audi's time-tested 5-cylinder
turbo charged engine and generated over 600 hp (447 kW). The engine was
mated to a 6-speed gearbox and ran on Audi's famous all-wheel drive
system. All of Audi's top drivers drove this beast, Hannu Mikkola, Stig
Blomqvist, Walter Röhrl and the female driver, Michèle Mouton. The Audi
S1 enjoys a 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) time of 2.3 s. This Audi S1 started
the S-series of cars for Audi which now represents an increased level
of sports options and quality in the Audi line-up.
As Audi moved away from rallying and into circuit racing, they chose to move first into America with the Trans-Am in 1988.
In 1989, Audi moved to IMSA GTO with the 90, however as they avoided
the two major endurance events (Daytona and Sebring) despite winning on
a regular basis, they would lose out on the title.
Audi Touring Cars
In 1990, having completed their objective to market cars in the United
States, Audi returned to Europe turning first to the DTM series with
the Audi V8, then in 1993, being unwilling to build cars for the new
formula, they turned their attention to the fast growing Supertouring
series, which took place nationally, first in the French Supertourisme
and Italian Superturismo. In the following year, Audi would switched to
the German Super Tourenwagen (known as STW) and then to BTCC (British
Touring Car Championship) the year after that.
The FIA,
having difficulty regulating the Quattro system and what impact it had
on the competitors, would eventually ban all four wheel drive cars from
competiting in 1998, by then Audi switched all their works efforts to
sports car racing.
By 2000, Audi would still compete in the
US with their RS4 for the SCCA Speed World GT Challenge, through
dealer/team Champion Racing competing against Corvettes, Vipers, and
smaller BMWs (where it is one of the few series to permit 4WD cars). In
2003, Champion Racing entered an RS6. Once again, the Quattro was
superior and Champion Audi won the championship. They returned in 2004
to defend their title but a newcomer, Cadillac with the new Omega
Chassis CTS-V, gave them a run for their money. After four victories in
a row, the Audis were sanctioned with several negative changes that
deeply affected the car's performance. Namely, added ballasts and
Champion Audi deciding to go with different tires and backing off the
turbos boost pressure.
In 2004, after years of competiting
with the TT-R in the revitalised DTM series, with privateer team Abt
Racing/Christian Abt taking the 2002 title with Laurent Aïello, Audi
returned as a full factory effort to touring car racing by entering two
factory supported Joest Racing A4s.
Audi Sports Cars
Beginning in 1999, Audi built the Audi R8 to compete in sports car
racing, including the LMP900 class at the 24 hours of Le Mans. The
factory supported Joest Racing team won at Le Mans three times in a row
(2000 - 2002), as well as winning every race in the American Le Mans
Series in its first year. Audi also sold the car to customer teams such
as Champion Racing. In 2003, two Bentley Speed 8s, with engines
designed by Audi and driven by Joest drivers loaned to the fellow VW
company, competed in the GTP class and finished the race in the top two
positions, while the Champion Racing R8 finished third overall and
first in the LMP900 class. Audi returned to the winner's circle at the
2004 race, with the top three finishers all driving R8s: Audi Sport
Japan Team Goh finished first, Audi Sport UK Veloqx second, and
Champion Racing third.
At the 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans,
Champion Racing entered two R8s along with an R8 from the Audi
PlayStation Team Oreca. The R8s (which were built to old LMP900
regulations) received a more narrow air inlet restrictor, cutting
power, and an additional 50 kg of weight compared to the newer LMP1
chassis. On average, the R8s were about 2-3 seconds off pace compared
to the Pescarolo-Judd. But with a team of excellent drivers and
experience, both Champion R8s were able to take first and third while
the ORECA team took fourth. The Champion team was also the first
American team to win Le Mans since the Gulf Ford GT's in 1967. This
also ends the long era of the R8;, however, its replacement for 2006,
called the Audi R10, was unveiled on December 13, 2005. the R10 employs
many new features, including a twin-turbocharged diesel engine. Its
first race was the 2006 12 Hours of Sebring as a race-test for the 2006
24 Hours of Le Mans, which it later went on to win. Audi has been on
the forefront of motorsports, claiming a historic win in the first ever
diesel sports car at 12 Hours of Sebring. Audi has achieved the title
as the most dominant motor sport power since the start of the 21st
Century, continuing its long and storied motor sport heritage.
Audi Technology
Audi produces 100% galvanized vehicles to prevent corrosion. Along with
other precautionary measures, the thus achieved full-body zinc coating
has proved to be very effective in preventing rust and corrosion
perforation. The body's resulting durability even surpassed Audi's own
expectations, causing the manufacturer to extend its original 10-year
warranty against corrosion perforation to currently 12 years. An
all-aluminium car was brought forward by Audi, and in 1994 the Audi A8
was launched, which introduced aluminium space frame technology. Audi
introduced a new series of vehicles in the mid-nineties and continues
to pursue leading-edge technology and high performance.
The
all-aluminium concept was extended to the company's new sub-compact,
the Audi A2 which was launched in 2001, although this model was
withdrawn from production late in 2005 as the costs of producing an
all-aluminium small car proved too high for many buyers looking for a
small semi-luxurious car. The aluminium body has proved better suited
to larger executive models such as the large A8 saloon.
In
all its post Volkswagen-era models, Audi has firmly refused to adopt
the traditional rear wheel drive layout favoured by its two arch rivals
Mercedes-Benz and BMW, favouring either front wheel drive or all wheel
drive. To achieve this, Audi has usually engineered its cars with a
longditudinally mounted engine mounted in an "overhung" position over
the front wheels - the so-called "U-drive" layout. While this allows
for equal length driveshafts (therefore combatting torque steer), and
the easy adoption of all-wheel drive, it goes against the ideal 50/50
weight distribution. For this reason, most still believed that BMW
still have the edge over Audi in terms of dynamic prowess, until the
arrival of the super-fast RS4 saloon late in 2005. The car has received
rave reviews and outsold BMW's M-division-badged cars and
Mercedes-Benz's AMG models, its two biggest rivals in the performance
arena. The car offers a 4.2 litre V8 engine with a scorching 414bhp,
enough to propell the car to 62mph in under five seconds, and on to an
electronically limited top speed of 155mph. The £49,980 car's best
review to date was possibly provided by Top Gear, when Jeremy Clarkson
set about racing the car along mountain roads in an attempt to beat a
professional rock climber to the top of a large mountain. Despite
Clarkson losing the exhillerating battle, he still proclaimmed Audi's
RS4 an unforgettable masterpiece, and despite the price tag being a
good ten thousand pounds more expensive than that of the rival BMW M3,
high sales have clearly reflected the high regard in which the public
hold this beautiful and most desirable of sports saloons.
In the 1970s, some vehicle manufacturers including Audi (and Subaru)
designed their own all wheel drive systems in passenger vehicles. In
the 1980s, all-wheel drive systems in cars became a fad, and other
manufacturers like Porsche and Mercedes-Benz offered all-wheel drive
systems in their cars to compete in the marketplace. Unfortunately, the
all-wheel drive system in the Mercedes-Benz vehicles were riddled with
problems right from the design sheet. The system also was not popular
in Porsche vehicles because owners wanted the traditional performance
of the rear wheel drive they got used to in older Porsches. Although
Porsche and Mercedes-Benz offer all-wheel-drive systems in some cars
and trucks today, neither manufacturer is as well-known for
all-wheel-drive technology as is Audi. Today, after over 25 years of
class-leading technology and engineering, the name quattro is an
identifiable symbol and trademark that shows would-be competitors the
level of quality they have to achieve in order to attempt to compete
with Audi. Unfortunately, Audi have recently applied the quattro badge
to models such as the A3 and TT which do not actually use the quattro
four-wheel drive system, but VW's Synchro modified front wheel drive
systems.
In the 1980s, Audi was the champion of the inline
5 cylinder, 2.1/2.2 L engine as a longer lasting alternative to more
traditional 6 cylinder engines. This engine was used not only in
production cars but also in their race cars. The 2.1L inline 5 cylinder
engine was used as a base for the rally cars in the 1980s, providing
well over 400 horsepower (298kW) after modification. Before 1990, there
were engines produced with a displacement between 2.0L and 2.3L. This
range of engine capacity was a good combination of good fuel economy
(which was on the mind of every motorist in the 1980s) and, of course,
a good amount of power.
Through the early 1990s, Audi began
to move more towards the position of being a real competitor in its
target market against Mercedes-Benz and BMW. This began with the
release of the Audi V8 in 1990. It was essentially a new engine fitted
to the Audi 100/200, but with noticeable bodywork differences. Most
obvious was the new grille that was now incorprated in the bonnet.
By 1991, Audi had the 4 cylinder Audi 80, the 5 cylinder Audi 90 and
Audi 100, the turbocharged Audi 200 and the Audi V8. There was also a
coupe version of the 80/90 with both 4 and 5 cylinder engines.
Although the five cylinder engine was a successful and very robust
powerplant, it was still a little too different for the target market.
With the introduction of an all-new Audi 100 in 1992, Audi introduced a
2.8L V6 engine. This engine was also fitted to a face-lifted Audi 80
(all 80 and 90 models were now badged 80 except for the USA), giving
this model a choice of 4, 5 and 6 cylinder engines, in sedan, coupe and
cabriolet body styles.
The 5 cylinder was soon dropped as a
major engine choice; however, a turbocharged 230hp (169kW) version
remained. The engine, initially fitted to the 200 quattro 20V of 1991,
was a derivative of the engine fitted to the Sport Quattro. It was
fitted to the Audi Coupe and named the S2 and also to the Audi 100
body, and named the S4. These two models were the beginning of the
mass-produced S series of performance cars.
The Audi A8
replaced the V8 in 1994, with a revolutionary Aluminium Space Frame
(ASF) to save weight. The weight reduction was offset by the quattro
all-wheel drive system. It meant the car had similar performance to its
rivals, but far superior handling.
The next major model
change was in 1995 when the Audi A4 replaced the Audi 80. The new
nomenclature scheme was applied to the Audi 100 to become the Audi A6
(with a minor facelift). This also meant the S4 became the S6 and a new
S4 was introduced in the A4 body. The S2 was discontinued. The Audi
Cabriolet continued on (based on the Audi 80 platform) until 1999,
gaining the engine upgrades along the way. A new A3 hatchback model
(sharing the Volkswagen Golf Mk.4's platform) was introduced to the
range in 1996, and the radical TT coupe and roadster were debuted in
1998 based on the same underpinnings. Another interesting model
introduced was the Mercedes-Benz A-Class competitor, the Audi A2. The
model sold relatively well in Europe, however, the A2 was discontinued
in 2005 and Audi decided not to develop an immediate replacement.
The engines available throughout the range were now a 1.4L, 1.6L and
1.8L 4 cylinder, 1.8L 4-cylinder turbo, 2.6L and 2.8L V6, 2.2L
turbo-charged 5 cylinder and the 4.2L V8. The V6s were replaced by new
2.4L and 2.8L 30V V6s in 1998, with marked improvement in power, torque
and smoothness. Further engines were added along the way, including a
3.7L V8 and 6.0L W12 for the A8.
At the turn of the
century, Audi introduced the direct-shift gearbox, a manual
transmission driveable like an automatic transmission. The system
includes dual electrohydraulically controlled clutches instead of a
torque converter. This is implemented in some Volkswagen Golf, Audi A3
and TT models. The engine range was continually upgraded, with a 2.7L
twin turbo V6 being offered in the Audi S4, A6 and allroad, while the
2.8L V6 was replaced by a 3.0L unit.
In 2001, Audi released
a high performance version of the A8, dubbed S8. It featured a
360-horsepower 4.2L V8 with 317 torque.
New models of the
A3, A4, A6 and A8 have been introduced, with the ageing 1.8 litre
engine now having been replaced by new FSI (Fuel Stratified Injection)
engines. Nearly every petrol model in the range now incorporates this
fuel-saving technology, including the following:
1.6 litre
4 cylinder 115bhp, 2.0 litre 4 cylinder 150bhp (Slowly being fased out
in order to make way for TSI engines - see section below), 2.0 litre 4
cylinder 200bhp, 2.0 litre 4 cylinder 220bhp, 3.2 litre V6 250-260bhp,
4.2 litre V8 350bhp, 4.2 litre V8 414bhp, & 5.2 litre V10 450bhp.
Other engines on sale and featuring in products of the Audi brand include:
1.6 litre 4 cylinder 102bhp, 1.9 litre TDi 105bhp, 2.0 litre TDi
140bhp, 2.0 litre TDi 170bhp, 2.7 litre TDi 180bhp, 3.0 litre TDi
233bhp, & 4.2 litre TDi 326bhp. All TDi models are diesels.
As a premium member of the VW Group, technologies are frequently first
introduced to the mass market in Audi vehicles before being 'trickled
down' to more value oriented brands such as VW, SEAT and ?koda. Recent
examples of this include a number of the FSI engines mentioned above,
as well as the quick-shifting DSG automatic gearbox option.
TSI technology was introduced to the Volkswagen Golf early in 2006.
These engines use, initially at least, a capacity of 1.4 litres
combined with both a turbo- and super-charger to produce a high power
output, with lower levels of harmful carbon dioxide emissions and
improved fuel economy when compared with a non-turbo or super-charged
engine of a high capacity, such as 2.0 litres. The 1.4 litre TSI engine
currently on sale in VW's Golf produces outputs of 140 and 170bhp.
These engines have proved popular amongst the motoring press in Britain
and could soon be filtered into the Audi range, with a possibility of
featuring in the A3 and A4 models, as well as maybe featuring in SEAT
and Skoda's model ranges sometime soon.
*The
brand history on this page is a collaboration of points found from
various sources on the Internet. Checkered Flag does not claim it to
be accurate. If you find anything to not be factual, we want to know
so we can change it. Please use our "Contact Us" form to inform us of
a possible error.