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Mladá Boleslav, August 23, 2012 – Today, ŠKODA AUTO launched the production of the new compact sedan ŠKODA Rapid in Mladá Boleslav. At the end of September, the ŠKODA Rapid will celebrate its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show. The newest model series is of central importance for the ŠKODA Growth Strategy and will be introduced in European markets beginning in October of this year.

The launch of the series production of the ŠKODA Rapid is a special moment for us," emphasized ŠKODA's chairman of the board, Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland. "Today, we give the green light for the series production of the new class of ŠKODA. The car sets new standards in the compact class and is an important pillar of our Growth Strategy 2018. The entire ŠKODA team has worked with great commitment toward this day – starting today, the new Rapid will roll off the assembly line. This car will highly appeal to our customers and strengthen the position of ŠKODA in the international markets even further," according to Vahland.
The ŠKODA Rapid will roll off the assembly line at Mladá Boleslav as the third ŠKODA model next to the model series Fabia and Octavia. At the current time, ŠKODA modernizes and expands essential production areas in its main plant for the production of the Rapid and the future new Octavia. Thus, the production capacity of Assembly Line I in Mladá Boleslav will be increased successively from 800 to 1,200 vehicles per day in the future. "This expansion, while production continues simultaneously on both lines, is a logistical and engineering masterstroke of our production, planning and logistical teams," says Michael Oeljeklaus, the ŠKODA board member for Production and Logistics. "We will successfully realize a fundamental expansion of capacities in our main plant with this," emphasizes the ŠKODA head of production.

In order to launch the production of the ŠKODA Rapid, various measures will be implemented in 17 production halls in Mladá Boleslav with a total of 173 individual projects to be realized. The measures involve over 141 planners as well as 2,000 employees of external companies. The original assembly line will receive new facilities for the assembly of the ŠKODA Rapid, for example for the mounting of modules such as the cockpit, front end or chassis, as well as for filling the manufactured vehicles with liquid media such as oils, fuels or coolants; they also include new testing facilities, conveying systems as well as handling technology. After the expansion of the production halls, the assembly line has grown by almost one third.

Due to the upcoming production launch of the new ŠKODA Octavia, ŠKODA will continue its construction measures and the expansion of the logistical capacities in Mladá Boleslav during the coming months. In the first half year of 2012, the brand has manufactured approximately 530,000 vehicles worldwide.

The ŠKODA Rapid convinces with a lot of space, an expressive design, an excellent price/performance ratio, comprehensive safety equipment and economic engines. The sedan complements the current model range of the Czech automobile manufacturer between the smaller ŠKODA Fabia and the larger ŠKODA Octavia. It is thus part of the high-volume compact car segment. Today, this segment represents about 36 percent of the global automobile market. Within this segment – called the 'A-segment' – 42 percent are sedans. According to industry experts, the number of sold vehicles of this type will increase approximately 50 percent until the year 2020.

Beginning in October 2012, the ŠKODA Rapid will successively make its debut in the European markets. In 2013, this will be followed by a special version for customers in China to be produced locally there. Also, the production of the Rapid for the Russian market at the Volkswagen plant in Kaluga is planned for beginning of 2014. With the ŠKODA Rapid, the Czech manufacturer wants to primarily attract families who are looking for a spacious main car at an affordable price with the usual ŠKODA quality.

With its compact dimensions (a length of 4.48 meters, a width of 1.7 meters), the ŠKODA Rapid convinces with an outstanding amount of space and room for five passengers and their luggage. Headroom, legroom as well as the trunk volume of the ŠKODA Rapid represent the benchmark in this vehicle segment. They are complemented by numerous 'simply clever' solutions, an outstanding price/value relation and comprehensive safety equipment. The choice of engines is comprised of five gas and two diesel engines.

As the first ever ŠKODA vehicles produced in series, the ŠKODA Rapid completely expresses the newly developed design language of the manufacturer: Perfect proportions, freshly and cleanly modeled surfaces and sharply drawn lines leading to an attractive, timelessly elegant overall appearance. The front end shows the innovative interpretation of the brand-typical design features: The new ŠKODA logo appears confidently on the harmoniously rounded front end of the hood. Pure emotions are also conveyed by the lateral shape of the car body. They are evoked by the long wheelbase and a coupe-like silhouette, plus a precise and sharp tornado line that creates a clear separation between light and shadow. Among the important characteristics of the Rapid are the large tailgate (nearly like a station wagon), allowing for optimal loading of the 550 liter trunk. When the rear bench is folded down, the trunk volume increases to up to 1,490 liters. With this trunk concept, the Rapid achieves record values in its class. Succinctly shaped, the rear lights with their brand-typical C-form as well as the new brand logo guarantee the distinctiveness of the ŠKODA Rapid.

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