Skoda Auto is Official Main Sponsor and Official Car of The 2009 IIHF World Championship

MLADA BOLESLAV, CZECH REPUBLIC - April 23, 2009: Besides the classical giant logo in the center circle of the ice, which by now almost constitutes a landmark of IIHF World Championships, Škoda will be visible on rink boards, helmets and jerseys of the Czech and Slovak team. The main attraction of Škoda's presence however will be the brand new Škoda Yeti. With the introduction of the Yeti, Škoda Auto is celebrating the extension of its model range to five. The Yeti is a clever response by Škoda Auto to the increasingly important ecological issues in the SUV class. Recently introduced at the Geneva Motor Show, the 2009 IIHF World Championship will feature the Yeti to be displayed at the ice rinks of Berne and Zurich and to be watched by millions of TV viewers for the very first time.

An attractive fleet of 40 silver Škoda cars, consisting mainly of the models Superb, Octavia Combi and Octavia Scout, will operate in the role of "The Official Car of the 2009 IIHF World Championship" during the event, helping officials and guests to get around in and between the two host cities of trendy Zurich, Switzerland's largest city, and historic Berne, the country's capital.

For Switzerland, the IIHF World Championship will be the largest sports event of the year 2009. The Organizing Committee expects an attendance of over 300,000 spectators and an estimated 700 million viewers will be watching the 56 championship games on TV, with over 190 television stations broadcasting approximately 3,000 hours of world-class ice hockey into more than 100 countries world-wide. "As a long-term main sponsor, we have contributed considerably to the tremendous growth of the popularity of Ice Hockey. This enormous attention of international media and public naturally offers a unique chance to generate awareness for our brand and to introduce our cars to a broad audience", says Martin Lauer, Head of Corporate communications of Škoda Auto, and adds: "Showing visible presence with our brand and products as well as maintaining successful and reliable relationships sets a very important sign towards our customers, employees, partners and of course the Ice Hockey fans all over the world."

Swiss Škoda importer AMAG is celebrating the event by offering a special model, the Škoda Roomster "COOLY", named of course after the likeable mascot of the 2009 IIHF World Championship. Flexible, versatile, reliable and of multi-purpose use – those are the virtues that stand for the Roomster "COOLY" as much as they do for the many great Ice Hockey champions to be performing world class hockey during the IIHF World Championship fortnight in Switzerland.