Škoda Auto a.s. (Czech pronunciation: [ˈʃkoda] (audio speaker iconlisten)), often shortened to Škoda, is a Czech automobile manufacturer established in 1925 as the successor to Laurin & Klement and headquartered in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic. Škoda Works became state owned in 1948.
After 1991, it had been gradually privatized to the German Volkswagen Group, becoming a subsidiary in 1994 and since 2000 a wholly owned subsidiary.
[4][5] Škoda automobiles are sold in over 100 countries and in 2018, total global sales reached 1.25 million units, an increase of 4.4% from the previous year.[1] The operating profit was €1.6 billion in 2017, an increas