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Between 2 and 24 July, cycling fans from around the world will be flocking to France to watch the hardest and most famous cycling race world – the Tour de France.

ŠKODA has been the official partner and official vehicle partner of the Tour de France since 2004, and will be supporting the event this year for the thirteenth time. The brand’s top model – the ŠKODA SUPERB – will be accompanying the Tour riders on their way to Paris, leading the field as the ‘Red Car’. ŠKODA is sending 250 vehicles to the most famous cycling race in the world. In addition, ŠKODA is once again the sponsor of the Green Jersey for the best sprinter.

“Cycling is of particular significance to ŠKODA: Laurin and Klement, the founders of the brand, began with the construction of bicycles 121 years ago,” explains Werner Eichhorn, ŠKODA Board Member for Sales and Marketing. “The Tour de France is the highlight of our cycling sponsorship. We are delighted to be supporting this event for the thirteenth year with our fleet of vehicles, and we are looking forward to an exciting course of the Tour de France.”

When cycling fans from all round the world are watching France in July, ŠKODA will once again be at the very front. The traditional Czech brand will be supporting the Tour de France this year as the official sponsor for the thirteenth time in a row. At the same time, the carmaker will be the official vehicle partner, providing a total of 250 cars as organizational and support vehicles for the Tour de France. The Czech company is also sponsoring the Green Jersey for the best sprinter for the second time. Between 2004 and 2014, ŠKODA was the partner of the White Jersey for the best young rider.

The ŠKODA fleet has been at the heart of ŠKODA’s activities at the Tour de France for many years. The main attraction is the ŠKODA SUPERB. The brand’s flagship will be leading the field of participants as the ‘Red Car’. Appropriately, the SUPERB saloon will be presented in striking ‘Corrida Red’. In addition, the car features a panoramic glass roof, which can be opened at the click of a button from the second row of seats, allowing Tour Director Christian Prudhomme to stand up in the back. This gives him an optimal view of the peloton before approving the start of each stage. In addition, the SUPERB has numerous technical features in order to perform optimally as a mobile control centre for the Tour de France. The saloon offers several radio channels, over which the Tour Director can gather information and issue sports or safety-related instructions.

During its three-week service, the 250-vehicle ŠKODA fleet will cover around 2.8 million kilometres. Since 2004, the total distance travelled during the Tour de France adds up to over 30 million kilometres. The fleet does not only consist of vehicles; ŠKODA’s Service Team will be working behind the scenes to ensure the 250 models are in perfect condition every day for the forthcoming stage.

After the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games, the Tour de France is the world's third largest sporting event. The 103rd Tour de France will take the riders over 3 519 kilometres in 21 stages this year. The Grand Départ takes place on 2 July at Mont-Saint-Michel. The riders will reach the Champs-Elysées finish line on 24 July.

In true Tour-de-France spirit, ŠKODA launches their ‘Meet the Vélo Family’ campaign. The idea behind this: Cycling is the most widely used and popular mode of travel in the world – two to four billion people regularly get on their bikes. Bicycle fans share this passion with like-minded people around the world. ŠKODA has also shared this passion since the founding days of the company: The history of the traditional Czech brand began with the construction of bicycles. As in any family, there are different roles in the ŠKODA Vélo Family. There is a cycling fan for each of the 21 characters – including the beginner, the tourist, the climber and the sprinter.

The ŠKODA Vélo Family’s home can be found at WeLoveCycling.com where visitors can read exciting stories from people around the world who share their passion for cycling. On the website, there are also funny emojis and GIFs by ŠKODA – “ŠKODAJIS” – and a raffle with fantastic prizes. Fans can also find out which member of the ŠKODA Vélo Family they are in an interactive quiz.

Cycling is a cornerstone of ŠKODA’s sponsorship strategy. In addition to the Tour de France and the Tour of Spain ('Vuelta'), the automaker supports several other international cycling events, and numerous national and international grassroots cycling events. ŠKODA’s extended product range includes bicycles and related accessories.

Article source: www.skoda-auto.com

ŠKODA strengthening activities in areas of ‘Company-wide digitization’, ‘Connectivity/Connected Car’ and ‘Future Mobility Concepts’. Digitisation plays key role in every area of ŠKODA Strategy 2025.

ŠKODA is strengthening the organisation with the new field of ‘Digitisation’. In doing so, the Czech car maker is creating an important prerequisite to generate the solutions in response to technological change. Under the topic of digitisation, the main tasks include developing new products and mobility services. In addition, the field will strengthen the entire company in preparation for digital transformation.

“For decades, innovations in digital technology have been setting the pace in many areas of our lives and our industry,” says ŠKODA CEO Bernhard Maier. “This development is happening with such force and penetration that it dwarfs everything the industry has experienced in the past. The car is only a part of the broader revolution. By utilizing innovative technologies we will make our customers’ lives on the road easier, more effective and more interesting.”

Digitisation is a key action point under ŠKODA’s recently announced Strategy 2025. As a cross-function, this will involve all areas of the company - from the education and training of the workforce, vehicle development with the aid of modern virtual reality and 3D technologies, to car production according to guiding principle of industry 4.0. In the future, digitisation will have an increasingly strong influence on ŠKODA’s traditional business sector of automobile manufacturing.

Article source: www.skoda-auto.com

Every model in the ŠKODA range has received a 5 star Euro NCAP safety rating. The Yeti’s inclusion of front and side airbags was a large reason for it receiving such a good score. It also offers front passenger airbags (that can be disabled if a front child car seat is fitted), ISOFIX child seat fittings for the rear and auto fuel supply cut-off in the event of an accident. ŠKODA - experience 5 star safety, whatever model you choose.

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

Measuring 4.3 metres in length, the ŠKODA ATERO is a compact, two-door coupé. It is hard to imagine the vehicle that provided the basis for the design was actually the ŠKODA Rapid Spaceback; the conversion was even more comprehensive than those of the two previous ‘student cars’. The B-pillars have been moved to the rear, the C-pillars’ incline is sharper. The sloping roofline begins at an earlier point, whilst the window edge behind the doors points upwards.

Other components have also undergone complex alterations. Ventsadd structure to the bonnet and the doors have been extended. The tailgate is aligned with the new angle of the C-pillars and sports a long edge spoiler; the tail lights have also been modified. The rear bumper surrounds the large tailpipes of the exhaust system, which comes from the ŠKODA OCTAVIA RS. A large air vent is integrated into the front bumper. The ŠKODA ATERO’s headlights feature LED technology with red backlights. The 1.4 l TSI engine (92 kW/125 PS) and the 7-speed DSG gearbox have colour changes, the team of students made considerable changes to the chassis.

The 18-inch wheels in the ‘Turini’ design come from the ŠKODA Octavia. They are painted black with red stripes. Ventilated, manually perforated brake discs sit behind the front wheels. The ŠKODA ATERO is painted in metallic Black Magic, accessories (wing, spoiler, sills) come in Corrida Red; the radiator grille, air intake and diffuser insert are also surrounded by red contours. In the interior, red lighting creates a sporty atmosphere; ambient lighting with LED technology adds highlights. A 1,800-watt audio amplifier powers 14 speakers. Located in the boot, the subwoofer alone has a 400-watt output.

Article source: www.skoda-auto.com

Responsible and sustainable production as well as fuel-efficient vehicles: these are essential elements of ŠKODA’s ‘GreenFuture’ environmental strategy.

So far, the target was to reduce the environmental impact of production, as measured by key figures from 2010-2018, by 25 per cent. The manufacturer increased this goal to 45 per cent this year. This means: the environmental impact will have nearly halved within eight years. To mark ‘World Environment Day’ on Sunday 5 June, the manufacturer introduces some important initiatives.

“The foremost aim of ŠKODA’s ‘GreenFuture’ strategy is to further improve the sustainability of the company,” explained Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA Board Member for Production and Logistics. “We have successfully implemented this in recent years. Our focus is on efficient vehicles and an economical use of resources across the entire business. We will continue to meticulously implement our environmental strategy in the coming years. To further reduce energy consumption in production, we are using modern technology with the greatest possible energy efficiency,” continued Oeljeklaus.

ŠKODA is combining all environmental activities under the umbrella of the ‘GreenFuture’ strategy; ‘GreenFactory’ outlines all activities that conserve resources as much as possible during production.

Key figures such as energy and water consumption, or the amount of waste produced when manufacturing each vehicle, as well as CO2 and so-called volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions – like those created when painting car bodies – are accurately measured and then optimised. Based on these factors, ŠKODA has already reduced, on average, its environmental impact by 35.8 per cent between 2010 and 2015. To accelerate this positive trend, the company has set even more ambitious environmental targets for this year. According to this, ŠKODA will reduce the environmental impact of its production by 45 per cent by 2018, so nearly half compared to 2010 levels.

In detail: energy consumption for production is to fall by 30 per cent during this period. The target for CO2 emissions per vehicle produced is to be lowered by 55 per cent. The amount of waste per vehicle will reduce by 70 per cent by 2018, water consumption by 25 per cent and VOC emissions by 45 per cent. The improvement objectives, which have been increased to 45 per cent, will result from specific measures, for example, regulating the ventilation system, installing energy-saving lighting as well as reducing the amount of waste created when manufacturing each vehicle.

Range of measures across the entire business
The associated set of measures extends to all areas of the company. For example, around a quarter of all power required by one factory is used on air-conditioning the production halls – accordingly, this item is at the very top of ŠKODA’s ‘GreenFuture’ agenda. Thanks to the ventilation system’s new control unit, the company saves 3,500 MWh per year – that is the equivalent of the energy consumption of 875 households. New compressors in the pressing plants, which operate at lower air pressure, achieve power savings of 1,600 MWh.

In the Kvasiny plant alone, new hall lighting will effect an electricity reduction of 1,500 MWh per year. In several halls, where finished vehicles await delivery, ŠKODA also installed energy-saving sources of light, cutting power consumption in half. Thanks to clever automatic switch-off, the light also goes off by itself as soon as operations cease in the halls.

Already in 2014, the amount of waste per car manufactured fell from 16.8 kg to 15.1 kg within a year. In 2016, ŠKODA will reduce the volume of deposited waste from its own production plants by a total of 4,000 tonnes – this represents a reduction in waste per vehicle of over 50 per cent to 7.8 kg within two years. Furthermore, the waste is no longer stored, instead it is separated for energy recycling. One of the many improvements include: used oils are filtered and reused in the production process – saving resources and reducing the amount of waste.

A cornerstone of sustainable production is the energy provider ŠKO-ENERGO, in which ŠKODA AUTO a.s. has a share of 46 per cent. Since the partnership began in 1995, both companies were able to more than halve energy consumption per vehicle produced. At 1.5 million cubic metres, current annual water consumption is at the 2010 level – in relation to the increase in vehicle production, water consumption has reduced by about 30 per cent per vehicle.

The increased use of biomass to generate electricity in the ŠKO-ENERGO combined heat and power generation (CHP) facility saves up to 130,000 t of CO2 emissions per year, compared to burning coal and gas. Thanks to this advanced type of energy supply, the carbon footprint per vehicle produced also improved by more than 46 per cent between 2010 and 2015.

ŠKODA supports environmental policy of the Czech Republic through the project 'One car, one tree'. Between 2007 and 2015, the car manufacturer planted more than half a million trees at over 50 locations. Many ŠKODA employees volunteer to plant the trees, contributing sustainably to the preservation of biodiversity and global climate protection.

‘World Environment Day’ is a global institution
To mark the opening of the UN Conference on the Human Environment on 5 June 1972 in Stockholm, the United Nations declared 5 June the annual ‘World Environment Day’. About 150 countries around the world participate in ‘World Environment Day’, which aims to strengthen environmental awareness and ecological courage. This year’s ‘World Environment Day’ has the slogan: ‘Go wild for life’.

Article source: www.skoda-auto.com

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