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Laurin & Klement

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Laurin & Klement
Company typePrivate
IndustryAutomotive
Founded18 December 1895; 128 years ago (1895-12-18)
Founder
Defunct1925; 99 years ago (1925)
FateReincorporated
SuccessorŠkoda Auto
HeadquartersMladá Boleslav, Kingdom of Bohemia, Austria-Hungary
Laurin & Klement
OwnerŠkoda Auto (Volkswagen Group)
Introduced1895

Laurin & Klement was a Czech automobile, motorcycle and bicycle manufacturing company founded in 1895 in Mladá Boleslav, Kingdom of Bohemia by automotive pioneers Václav Laurin and Václav Klement. Car production commenced in 1905, and the company soon became the largest car manufacturer in Austria-Hungary. It was acquired by industrial conglomerate Škoda Works in 1925 and re-branded as Škoda Auto, which is today the largest car manufacturer in the Czech Republic and a part of the Volkswagen Group.[1]

History

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The company was founded in 1895 and engaged in the production of new bicycles as well as doing repairs, their first bicycles being called Slavia. The company was named after its two founders: Václav Laurin (born 27 September 1865, died 4 December 1930), and Václav Klement (born 16 October 1868, died 13 August 1938).[2]: 77 

Car production commenced in 1905, and the company soon became the largest car manufacturer in Austria-Hungary. In 1925 the company was acquired by the Škoda Works, and operated henceforth under the brand Škoda Auto (Škoda).[2]: 76–77 

Today, the Laurin & Klement name is used by Škoda Auto to distinguish especially luxurious editions of some of their car models (Yeti, Octavia, Superb and Kodiaq).[3]

Models

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The history of ŠKODA". ŠKODA UK. 3 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b Walker, Mick (29 May 2000). Mick Walker's European Racing Motorcycles. Redline Books. ISBN 978-0-9531311-3-6.
  3. ^ "Škoda Octavia". repareo (in German). 25 August 2022.
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