Taking a symbolic ride in the jubilee vehicle, President Gašparovič has confirmed that Škoda Auto is again one of the country's local car manufacturers.
„The common roots joining Škoda Auto and VW Slovakia with the VW Group were founded back in 1991 and with the production of Škoda Octavia in Bratislava have reached yet another milestone. Manufacturing this successful product in the VW Bratislava plant, Škoda Auto will strengthen its position in the Slovak market. The best quality performance provided by both the VW employees and by Slovak suppliers has contributed to Škoda Auto’s success in Slovakia“, said Škoda Auto BOD Chairman Reinhard Jung in his comment on the occasion.
The assembly of the Škoda Octavia in the VW Bratislava plant’s KT 08 hall was launched this year in February. The five thousandth Škoda Octavia is fitted with a 2.0 litres, 103 kW diesel engine and a six-speed manual transmission; the colour of the vehicle's body is Capuccino-Beige, the equipment level is Elegance.
The car was officially taken over by Juraj Miklušica, a representative of the Modrý Anjel (Blue Angel) project the objective of which is to save lives of newborns and infants suffering from congenital heart disease by transplanting heart valves. A symbolic car key was handed over by Matej Bugár and Marek Balón, Executive Officers of ŠKODA AUTO Slovensko, s.r.o.
“The Škoda Octavia is well reputed for its reliability and excellent performance. After being adapted to meet the respective rescue-car specifications, the vehicle is going to help in saving the lives of infants, which is what I consider most important,” said Škoda Auto Slovensko Director Matej Bugár.
Škoda Octavia is manufactured in the Limousine, Combi or Scout versions and is distributed to 100 countries worldwide. With 237,422 vehicles delivered to customers, 18% more than in the previous year, Octavia was Škoda's best selling model in 2007. The Škoda Octavia Tour remains popular, too (year-on-year growth 4.6%, altogether 72,529 vehicles delivered to customers).