April 1996 - the Skoda Octavia Launch - 20 years on

[ColinD]

It was on an April day in 1996 that the Octavia was once again launched. Having been a model through the 60's. This is a model then, that almost all of us know, have seen and many have owned. 

 

Now in three common guises on the roads, the Mk I, Mk II and Mk III, each is great for it's own reasons. Jumping into a MkI vRS 1.8t and hooking up third gear is great, the overall balance of the car really suits a nice Welsh A road. The latest generations with cavernous boots and great comfort offer a more refined experience of the twisty road. Then there is the vRS230, with a clever differential to bring back the smile on those twisty roads, although with the power and chassis out of the garage, maybe a Scottish one is better...

 

The Octavia has been around for so long, it's a part of the brand like no other model. Please read on to discover more and the full release from SKODA.

 

20 Years of ŠKODA Octavia: Jubilee for the Heart of the Brand

• April 1996: ŠKODA introduces the first generation ŠKODA Octavia 
• Bestseller: five million ŠKODA Octavias sold over two decades
• Modern technologies guarantee safety, comfort and efficiency

 

One of the most successful model series in the automotive world made its debut 20 years ago: In 1996, ŠKODA AUTO presented its Octavia saloon for the first time to international media representatives. Over the following two decades, the Octavia became a worldwide hit and is still the traditional Czech automaker’s best-selling model. The vehicle has been instrumental in the successful development of the ŠKODA brand.

 

The ŠKODA Octavia is celebrating an important milestone with impressive interim results: In the 20 years since the debut of the first ŠKODA Octavia, five million customers around the world have opted for one of the various Octavia models offered. Its combination of above-average space, modern engines and safety features at an attractive price was to be the inspiration for all the brand’s later models.

 

Approximately one year after the Czech brand had joined the Volkswagen Group in 1991, the development of the completely new ŠKODA Octavia model series was underway. This was based on what was then an entirely new platform, developed at Group level in parallel with the conception of the Octavia. The engineers constructed a robust body structure with the help of modern CAD (Computer Aided Design) technology, while the ŠKODA design team created a timeless and unmistakable body shape, at the ŠKODA development centre in Mladá Boleslav led by Chief Designer Dirk van Braeckel.

 

The developers paid close attention to active and passive safety. In addition to front airbags, the brand offered side airbags for the first time. A special feature of the new compact was the practical liftback solution: The large rear door of the hatchback model allowed for excellent access to the 528-litre boot, which grew to as much as 1,328 litres by folding the rear seats down.

 

In 1996, the year the model was first released, customers could choose between two four-cylinder petrol engines and one turbo diesel drivetrain. The entry-level engine was the 1.6 MPI with 75 hp, the 1.8 20 V positioned above that brought it to 125 hp and the modern turbodiesel direct-injection 1.9 TDI generated an output of 90 hp, giving an average fuel consumption of over 55mpg. ŠKODA gradually expanded its engine range to include the particularly economical 1.9 SDI with 68 hp and the 1.8 20 V turbo with 150 hp.

 

The first Octavia Estate celebrated its world premiere in March 1998 and quickly became a bestseller, particularly in Europe. In 1999 a four-wheel drive Octavia Estate made its debut.

 

The Octavia/Octavia Estate name refers to the successful model of the same designation, of which ŠKODA produced approximately 364,000 units between 1959 and 1964 in Mladá Boleslav and Kvasiny. The Latin word ‘octavia’ means ‘the eighth’, relating to ŠKODA’s eighth automobile of the ‘modern era’ with independent suspension following the debut of this technology in 1933.

 

For the new Octavia series, ŠKODA built a new production line in a 37,500-square-metre hall at the Mladá Boleslav plant, followed by a new paint shop processing up to 1,800 vehicles per day. The new production line commenced operations on April 3, 1996. The capacity of the main plant increased by 90,000 units to 350,000 vehicles annually and ŠKODA became the largest industrial company in the Czech Republic.

 

The last vehicle of the first series eventually rolled off Vrchlabí’s production line in November 2010. From 1996 to 2010, ŠKODA delivered a total of 970,000 hatchbacks and over 470,000 estates to customers worldwide.

 

The second-generation Octavia continued unabated the success of its predecessor. ŠKODA sold a total of 1.6 million hatchbacks and 900,000 estates between 2004 and 2013. Technologies, such as direct-injection petrol engines, and the direct shift gearbox (DSG) made their debut in the Octavia II.

 

The third-generation Octavia, an important cornerstone of ŠKODA’s model range, has been running off the production lines since November 2012. At the end of March 2016, the one millionth vehicle of this model generation was produced at ŠKODA’s main production facility in Mladá Boleslav.

 

The traditional Czech brand has manufactured a total of five million Octavias since the ŠKODA Octavia was first launched in 1996. In addition to Mladá Boleslav, the ŠKODA Octavia is also produced in China, India, Russia and Kazakhstan.

 

-- ends

 

[RobClubley]

Is my car officially a classic yet?

[Jim H]

Just seen this article about it on Pistonheads

 

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/general/happy-birthday-skoda-octavia/34035

[patrickthomas]

Happy birthday Octavia  :sun:

[mac11irl]

And so many of them still going strong!!!

[bigjohn]

And so many of them still going strong!!!

 

Yup,

 

My 2001 1.4 16v 120k miles - still great, except for a trapped seat belt ding  bodywork is rust-free 

[robeadie]

On my 4th and loving it!

[g_tee]

I had a Mk 1 Octavia, and I've had 3 Mk 2 Octavias, my father still has his Mk2 as well - he's had it since new in 2005.

 

Great cars, and I am even more enamoured with my Superb.

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

My '51 plate vRS has just clicked over 160,000 miles. Bought five years ago with 70k on the clock for £2,500 - there must be a reason that I've kept her for so long.

 

By far the cheapest and oldest car I've ever bought in 25 years of motoring, but by far the best....and I've owned a Porsche 911 too!

 

It's just an amazing all-rounder, I am getting worried about the age and mileage now because I don't want to part with her!

[J.R.]

On 17/05/2016 at 01:49, Ray Luxury-Yacht said:

My '51 plate vRS has just clicked over 160,000 miles. Bought five years ago with 70k on the clock for £2,500 - there must be a reason that I've kept her for so long.

 

By far the cheapest and oldest car I've ever bought in 25 years of motoring, but by far the best....and I've owned a Porsche 911 too!

 

It's just an amazing all-rounder, I am getting worried about the age and mileage now because I don't want to part with her!

 

That is exactly what I said about my first Octavia estate bought in 2005 at 3 years old for £3.5K with a stratospheric mileage and what I am saying again about the low mileage 2006 MK2 estate I have just bought for £750 which I expect to last me even longer than its predecessor, I was sad to part with the last one, I actually scrapped it, I took her to 325000 miles with all sorts of abuse and masive overloading especially towing but she would have gone on for another 10 years, it was the right thing to do though because her successor is so much better in so many ways yet so familiar, same colour, many people have noticed the change of number plate but not the change of car!

 

How can a car be so old, be so good and so cheap? The last I can understand but the first 2 take some reprogramming of what we have become used to.