Photo: Skoda
After the Skoda-powered Trekka ended production in New Zealand in 1973, the Czech manufacturer decided to make a sport utility vehicle of its own in 2009. The Yeti is the SUV in question, of which Skoda sold 684,500 examples of the breed through the middle of July 2018.
Then the Kodiaq, Karoq, and Kamiq entered the scene, adding 215,700, 87,800, and 12,000 units to the tally. That’s right, ladies and gents; the Volkswagen Group-owned company is celebrating the 1,000,000th SUV produced, coming in the form of this Emerald Green-painted Karoq.
Manufactured at the Kvasiny plant in the Czech Republic, the one-millionth model is an Ambition with the 150-horsepower TSI turbocharged four-cylinder engine and the dual-clutch transmission with seven forward gears.
“It is a great achievement to have produced 1,000,000 SUVs,” said Michael Oeljeklaus, board member for Production and Logistics. “We are currently taking the necessary measures to continue meeting the growing demand for vehicles in this segment in the future. For example, we are expanding our Kvasiny plant into a center of excellence for SUV production.”
Excluding the Trekka from the 1960s and 1970s, every Skoda utility vehicle uses Volkswagen Group-sourced platforms, engines, transmissions, switchgear, and interior trim. Despite this lack of personality, the value-oriented character of the Karoq, Kodiaq, and China-built Kamiq helps the automaker sell SUVs by the bucketload.
Skoda is also embracing its sporting roots with SUVs such as the Kodiaq RS, though there are sportier alternatives out there. Hyundai is one of them, with the N performance division working on a front-wheel-drive Kona N that promises to be every bit as fun as the i30 N and Veloster N. Cupra, on the other hand, prepares to roll out a coupe-styled SUV in 2020.
Last, but certainly not least, don’t forget that Audi has been spied testing the RS Q3 on the Nurburgring at the beginning of August 2018. Expected to roll out next year, the range-topping model will pack close to 400 horsepower from a five-cylinder turbocharged engine.
Manufactured at the Kvasiny plant in the Czech Republic, the one-millionth model is an Ambition with the 150-horsepower TSI turbocharged four-cylinder engine and the dual-clutch transmission with seven forward gears.
“It is a great achievement to have produced 1,000,000 SUVs,” said Michael Oeljeklaus, board member for Production and Logistics. “We are currently taking the necessary measures to continue meeting the growing demand for vehicles in this segment in the future. For example, we are expanding our Kvasiny plant into a center of excellence for SUV production.”
Excluding the Trekka from the 1960s and 1970s, every Skoda utility vehicle uses Volkswagen Group-sourced platforms, engines, transmissions, switchgear, and interior trim. Despite this lack of personality, the value-oriented character of the Karoq, Kodiaq, and China-built Kamiq helps the automaker sell SUVs by the bucketload.
Skoda is also embracing its sporting roots with SUVs such as the Kodiaq RS, though there are sportier alternatives out there. Hyundai is one of them, with the N performance division working on a front-wheel-drive Kona N that promises to be every bit as fun as the i30 N and Veloster N. Cupra, on the other hand, prepares to roll out a coupe-styled SUV in 2020.
Last, but certainly not least, don’t forget that Audi has been spied testing the RS Q3 on the Nurburgring at the beginning of August 2018. Expected to roll out next year, the range-topping model will pack close to 400 horsepower from a five-cylinder turbocharged engine.
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