Skoda Celebrates 130 Years With Laurin & Klement

This twelvemonth is Skoda’s 130th twelvemonth and since 1995, nan company’s precocious specification cars person borne nan Laurin & Klement name. L&K really formed nan ground of Skoda coming and nan communicative began backmost successful 1925 arsenic nan Mladá Boleslav-based institution Laurin & Klement was celebrating its 30th day and 20 years of automobile production, it joined forces pinch nan Škoda business and armaments group. Under nan Škoda brand, an eager finance programme, introducing assembly statement production, transferring cutting-edge technologies and rolling retired a caller activity of models began to toggle shape nan company’s fortunes.

The history of nan Pilsen-based engineering institution dates backmost to 1859, and 10 years later it was acquired by technologist Emil Škoda. Under his leadership, and carrying his name, nan institution grew into nan largest business endeavor successful Austria-Hungary and moreover collaborated pinch nan carmaker Laurin & Klement.

In nan 1920s, some companies faced economical difficulties successful nan aftermath of nan First World War and nan illness of accepted markets. In 1924, a devastating occurrence further damaged nan L&K mill successful Mladá Boleslav. Václav Laurin and Václav Klement truthful decided to activity a beardown strategical partner.

At that time, L&K employed 1,125 people, while Škoda Plzeň had much than 30,000 employees. However, its automotive output was limited, focusing chiefly connected nan licensed accumulation of British Sentinel steam lorries and Hispano-Suiza luxury cars. Unlike different options considered, nan merger pinch Škoda Plzeň guaranteed nan continuation of independent automotive improvement and accumulation successful Mladá Boleslav.

On 20 July 1925, nan wide meetings of some companies approved nan merger, pinch shares exchanged astatine a ratio of 2:1 (L&K/Škoda). The decisive day came connected 12 September 1925, erstwhile nan Ministry of nan Interior granted its approval. The Mladá Boleslav carmaker emerged from nan merger importantly stronger – a resilience soon put to nan trial by nan looming 1930s world economical crisis.

Although Laurin & Klement was officially taken disconnected nan Commercial Register that marked it arsenic an independent manufacturer, nan authorities to nan legendary marque – including its iconic Art Nouveau logo – stay pinch Škoda. Customers find it connected Škoda’s highest trim levels, a contented that began successful 1995 pinch nan Škoda Felicia.

The numbers show nan story: a period ago, 1,800 labor produced 833 cars. In 1991, 16,974 Škoda unit built 172,074 cars. Last year, Škoda, pinch a world workforce of astir 40,000 they built much than 926,000 vehicles.