Photo: Skoda
Skoda is not exactly the brand of choice for those in the market for armored protection. Not when there are a lot of better options available.
But this hasn’t stopped the British branch of the Czech brand to tap a local convertor to create a Super Estate model perfectly capable of resisting attacks with different types of ammunition and even blast and fragmentation.
Skoda says it worked together with its unnamed partner three years to convert the Superb into an armored vehicle. For the project, they used a Superb Estate equipped with the 2.0 TDI engine that develops 190 bhp.
They added to the regulra body of the carbullet-resistant glass, high strength steel, and composite materials. They tweaked the suspension and braking systems to handle the extra weight.
The wheels have been upgraded too, the car now being capable of running even with deflated tires. An emergency lighting and siren system were also added, in case a bullet-riddled car needed extra attention.
An 8-inch touchscreen hub with GPS, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto ensures communication with the outside world in case of emergency.
“Although exact details of the conversion must remain secret, the passenger cell has been reinforced to the extent that it meets PAS 300 requirements for ballistic and blast protection,” says the carmaker.
“This certification was carried out by an independent test facility and involved firing different types of ammunition at the vehicle and exposing it to blast and fragmentation threats.”
The market for commercial armored cars is a very secretive and lucrative one. According to a report by CNBC, the pool of armored passenger cars increased from 4,000 units nearly a decade ago to 18,000 in 2017.
For Skoda, this segment is a niche that might just give it an extra flow of cash. The armored Skoda announced on Tuesday is the carmaker’s first custom-made such car and is priced at a hefty £118,688, nearly six times over the price of the regular, non-armored version.
Skoda says it worked together with its unnamed partner three years to convert the Superb into an armored vehicle. For the project, they used a Superb Estate equipped with the 2.0 TDI engine that develops 190 bhp.
They added to the regulra body of the carbullet-resistant glass, high strength steel, and composite materials. They tweaked the suspension and braking systems to handle the extra weight.
The wheels have been upgraded too, the car now being capable of running even with deflated tires. An emergency lighting and siren system were also added, in case a bullet-riddled car needed extra attention.
An 8-inch touchscreen hub with GPS, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto ensures communication with the outside world in case of emergency.
“Although exact details of the conversion must remain secret, the passenger cell has been reinforced to the extent that it meets PAS 300 requirements for ballistic and blast protection,” says the carmaker.
“This certification was carried out by an independent test facility and involved firing different types of ammunition at the vehicle and exposing it to blast and fragmentation threats.”
The market for commercial armored cars is a very secretive and lucrative one. According to a report by CNBC, the pool of armored passenger cars increased from 4,000 units nearly a decade ago to 18,000 in 2017.
For Skoda, this segment is a niche that might just give it an extra flow of cash. The armored Skoda announced on Tuesday is the carmaker’s first custom-made such car and is priced at a hefty £118,688, nearly six times over the price of the regular, non-armored version.
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