SKODA

In 1997, the brand presented the design prototype of the Octavia Combi at the 57th edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show

In September 1996, five and a half years after joining the Volkswagen Group, Skoda Auto opened one of the most modern vehicle production plants in Europe at the time in Mladá Boleslav. The series production of the modern first generation Skoda Octavia marked the beginning of a new era for the Czech vehicle manufacturer. Work on the development of the liftback model, which at the time was based on a new Volkswagen Group platform, began as early as 1992. Directed by Dirk van Braeckel, the design team used CAD technology to create the modern and timeless body design.

On September 10, 1997, just over a year after production of the liftback version began, Skoda presented a design prototype of the Octavia Combi at the 57th edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show. The flashy purple vehicle now belongs to the collection of the Skoda Museum in Mladá Boleslav.

Less than six months later, in February 1998, series production of the Octavia Combi began. In the process, Skoda set new standards in manufacturing. Produced in what was at the time the largest stamping plant of the Czech manufacturer, the side of the body was formed in a single piece from inlaid sheet metal. The equipment guaranteed an accuracy of a tenth of a millimeter and the stamping mold needed for the manufacture weighed 63 tons.

The following March, the Octavia Combi celebrated its world debut at the 1998 Geneva Motor Show, and two months later, the first customers received their vehicles. The wheelbase of the 4,500 mm long model was 2,512 mm, the same as that of the liftback version, while the wagon version measured 6 mm longer in length and 26 mm in height. The Octavia Combi weighed between 15 and 30 kg more, depending on the vehicle's configuration. The elegantly designed rear offered a generous load capacity from 548 to 1,512 litres.

The Czech vehicle manufacturer's current bestseller was based on the remarkable success of the first Octavia Combi in the company's history. On September 11, 1960, Skoda presented the vehicle with a central tubular chassis, a longitudinally mounted front engine and rear-wheel drive at the International Engineering Fair in Brno. Skoda manufactured the 4,065 x 1,600 x 1,430 mm model from summer 1961 to 1971.

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