Czech Republic – The model first rolled off the line at a newly opened facility in the Mladá Boleslav plant in September 1996. The last vehicle from the first generation was made in November 2010, after 970,000 saloons and more than 470,000 estates had been delivered. More than 5m Octavias have been made since the start of production.
The development of the Octavia series began in 1992, around one year after Skoda joined the Volkswagen Group. The Octavia was based on a new Group platform and the body structure was developed using the latest computer-aided design technology. The foundation stone for a modern production line at Mladá Boleslav was laid in February 1995 in a 32,000 metre hall. A new paintshop was completed in March 1996 and subsequently handled up to 1,800 Felicias and Octavias per day.
In the first sales year, Skoda was making two types of four-cylinder petrol engines and a turbodiesel drivetrain. The line-up was extended in May 1998 with the Octavia Combi and in 1999 with the all-wheel drive estate. Skoda delivered 1.6m second-generation Octavia saloons and 900,000 estates between 2004 and 2013. The third generation has been in production since November 2012 and is currently made not only at Mladá Boleslav but at Skoda plants in China, India, Russia and Kazakhstan.
