Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Production and Logistics, said, “The beginning of serial production of the ŠKODA SUPERB iV is a major step towards the future. Over the past few months, we have rigorously made the provisions required to begin manufacturing our first plug-in hybrid at the Kvasiny plant. Today is therefore also the result of a great team effort.”
ŠKODA AUTO invested approximately 12 million euros in preparing the Kvasiny site for the specific requirements of manufacturing the first electrified ŠKODA production model. Body production and the assembly hall, for example, have been modified (see infographic). Thanks to the renovation work, the SUPERB iV plug-in hybrid can be built on the same production line as models featuring a conventional combustion engine. As the two drive variants have different floorpans, some of the equipment in the body shop had to be adapted or installed.
The hall used for quality control was completely remodelled: workplaces needed to be rearranged for the manufacturing and commissioning of vehicles as part of the production process. Within the production line, ŠKODA AUTO also installed an additional container for chassis frames as well as a manipulator for high-voltage and 12-volt batteries.
Furthermore, ŠKODA AUTO has pressed ahead with staff development relating to electromobility. To this end, the car manufacturer built a new training centre in Kvasiny; since then, almost 5,500 members of staff have completed their training there.
The dawning of a new era: the SUPERB iV plug-in hybrid
In the SUPERB iV, a 1.4 TSI petrol engine and an electric motor deliver a combined power output of 160 kW (218 PS). The all-electric range is up to 56 km in the WLTP cycle; up to 930 km can be covered when combined with the petrol engine. This new drive variant is available for the Ambition and Style trim levels as well as for the SUPERB SPORTLINE and SUPERB L&K. The ŠKODA SUPERB iV and the new iV E-Mobility sub-brand celebrated their world premiere in the Slovakian capital, Bratislava, in May 2019. The market launch is set for the beginning of 2020.
The modernised ŠKODA SUPERB has been built at the ŠKODA AUTO Kvasiny site since July 2019. In addition to the brand’s flagship, the KAROQ and KODIAQ SUVs are also manufactured there. In 2018, more than 300,000 cars left the Kvasiny plant in one year for the first time. The carmaker employs around 9,000 members of staff at the state-of-the-art production facility.