500,000 Cars Built In 2006 - Škoda Reaches Production Milestone

• Extra factory shift added to cope with massive demand

• British sales up 1.7% this year despite market downturn

MILTON KEYNES, England - November 25, 2006: This is no ordinary Škoda Roomster – it’s a record-breaker. When it rolled off the production line earlier this week it became the 500,000th Škoda to be built this year, which is an all-time record for the innovative Czech firm.

The momentous event took place on November 22nd and it was only fitting that it should be a brand new Roomster that drove out of the factory gates and into the history books. The milestone represents a massive increase in output for Skoda over a short space of time. In 1995 it built just over 208,000 vehicles, which means that in little more than a decade there’s been a 41 per cent increase in production.

Interest in the dynamic Roomster MPV – Škoda's fourth model line – has been significant and has driven up demand for the brand along with its Fabia, Octavia and Superb siblings. In response, the company has now set up an additional third shift to manufacture the small MPV in its Kvasiny plant.

And the good news doesn’t stop there. The domestic sales picture is just as encouraging with year to date figures (YTD) showing that Škoda is on course for another record year in Britain. In a market that witnessed a 3.2% drop, Škoda once again proved that great design and outstanding value for money remain core values for UK buyers by posting a 1.7% increase. Overall, Skoda now holds 1.6% of the total British market.

It isn’t just the UK market that’s doing well, however. Between January and November this year, the company achieved record-breaking sales in over 20 countries, including Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Spain, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Romania, Bulgaria, Russia, the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, India and Taiwan.

Employing 26,000 people, Škoda currently manufactures vehicles in five countries: the Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, India, Kazakhstan and the Ukraine. Next year the company is also going to start building cars in China and Russia.

Škoda, one of the world’s oldest car companies, has been making cars for over 100 years.

About Škoda

Škoda was founded in 1895 as Laurin & Klement, manufacturing bicycles, followed by motorcycles and, in 1905, cars. Cars have been produced since then at Škoda's factory in Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic. Škoda sold 492,111 cars in 2005 with a range comprised of Fabia, Octavia and Superb models.