Thursday 10 September 2015

Tour of Britain

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ŠKODA UK is sponsoring the Tour of Britain for the fourth year in a row, providing a fleet of support vehicles, including the new Superb, set to be launched in Middlesbrough at Derek Slack Motors on 17th and 18th September.



The race began at Beaumaris, Anglesey, on Sunday 6 September and finishes in London on Sunday 13 September. Throughout that time, a fleet of 50 ŠKODAs are supporting the world-class riders – including Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish – and their teams.

ŠKODA UK is also the exclusive sponsor of the King of the Mountain stages at Pen-y-Pass, Nick o‘Pendle and Barking Tye. At these locations, a ŠKODA team will provide free coffee and cake to spectators embracing the last of the British summer.

Tony Slack, Managing Director, said: “ Derek Slack Motors have several cycling enthusiasts who are all following the race. Warranty Administrator-John Cook took the following picture in Silloth which raised a few smiles.” 


Tony continued, “We’re really looking forward to showing off the new Superb during our two day launch. What ever the outcome of the race, you can be sure the new Superb will be a winner.”

Tuesday 8 September 2015

120 Years History in Motion



Derek Slack Motors have delivered SKODA, for nearly 25 years making us the oldest SKODA dealer in the north east. SKODA’s own story began not on four wheels, but two: a bicycle called the ‘Slavia’. Founders, Václav Laurin and Václav Klement, built it in 1895. Besides their first names and a love for cycling, they had another thing in common: a strong inventive spirit.

From humble beginnings, the two friends went on to build some of the world’s formative motorcycles, which were soon winning races and breaking speed records. Encouraged by this success, they graduated to four wheels, and with the ‘Voiturette A’ started an automotive lineage that makes SKODA one of the oldest car manufacturers in the world.

In 1925, Laurin & Klement merges with Skoda Works of Pilsen and went on to achieve breakthrough success with the ŠKODA Popular. Through the entire 20th century, encompassing two World Wars and a socialist-era planned economy, the commitment from SKODA to building high-quality cars didn’t waver. A smooth transition to become part of the Volkswagen group in 1991 only reinforced another commitment: to sustain the inventive spirit that began 120 years ago.

Derek Slack Motors are proud to be a part of the history as we continue with work to expand our Middlesbrough dealership into one of the UK’s flagship sites.

Thursday 3 September 2015

From Monte Carlo to Middlesbrough

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 SKODA Fabia Monte Carlo comes to Middlesbrough



The Monte Carlo models pay homage to all those heroes who devoted their lives and hearts to bringing the SKODA brand to winner‘s podium. Since the start of production in Mladá Boleslav in 1895, the company introduced to the world many racing legends, memorable victories and unforgettable machines. This long tradition of motor racing was transformed to ŠKODA‘s passenger cars in a form of the Monte Carlo family. 



Recent models share a lot of with their ancestors – like the emphasis put on dynamics, agile handling, and reliability and of course, great value. New to the range is the new shape Fabia with striking black elements, such as large panoramic sunroof, grille, alloy wheels or wing mirrors.

SKODA Fabia What Car? Car of the Year 2015



Listen to what Jim Holder - Editor of What Car? one of the UK's largest and most trusted car buyer guides has to say about the new SKODA Fabia. Over the years the publication has become best known for its reviews, advice, news and its prestigious 'Car of the Year' awards. This year SKODA walked away with four fantastic awards including What Car? Car of the Year 2015 Overall Winner for Fabia - here at Derek Slack Motors we are ecstatic. Plus, soon to arrive comes the Fabia Monte Carlo, so watch this space.

Tuesday 1 September 2015

SKODA Octavia vRS 230 comes to Teesside





Derek Slack Motors can reveal SKODA have finally unleashed their new beast! Introducing the new Octavia vRS 230: popular as an unmarked police car, the 230 can reach 155mph (a decent speed for a car voted the most practical family vehicle). In the same time it takes to say,‘What Car? Car of the Year 2015, Best Family Car’ the 230 has already reached 0- 60mph, that’s roughly 6.7 seconds.

Power now reaches the front wheels via an electronically controlled differential. Although our marketing manager confesses not to having the faintest idea what any of that means, essentially the front half of the four-wheel-drive system, dishes out power across the axle as it sees fit, so less of it escapes in the form of smoke and squeals, which will help put down the car’s power as you accelerate out of tight corners instead of spinning a wheel uselessly.

We’ll keep you posted on news of SKODA’s ‘speed-machine’. If you can’t wait that long call Derek Slack Motors on: 01642 256 100.






ŠKODA named as the UK’s most dependable car brand by JD Power- but we all knew that anyway!


The 1st September and one of the busiest days of the years at Derek Slack Motors. Just enough time to announce ŠKODA has been named as the UK’s most dependable brand in a new JD Power study. The inaugural 2015 UK Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) asked owners to report problems with their new cars – from serious breakdowns to troublesome in-car entertainment issues. Once analysed, the results gave ŠKODA a clear victory, with the brand comprehensively outscoring luxury brands


Every ŠKODA in the survey performed better than the industry average, with the Fabia ranked as the third most dependable car in the Small Car category.

Tony Slack, Managing Director and Retail Principal said: “This shows ŠKODA’s commitment for delivering quality and dependability. ŠKODA’s build quality is the envy of the industry, and it’s great news this has been recognised.
Following the JD Power report findings, UK Consumer organisation Which? has also named ŠKODA as a firm favourite with owners. The organisation’s 2015–2016 Car Guide named the Superb and the Yeti as the most satisfying cars to own in the estate and SUV classes, achieving owner satisfaction ratings of 96 per cent and 93 per cent respectively.

ŠKODA has won numerous industry and media awards for customer satisfaction and has been in the JD Power top ten for more than 20 years in a row. The brand has also been named Best Manufacturer in the Auto Express Driver satisfaction survey three times in the past four years; with the ŠKODA Yeti recording the survey’s highest ever score for customer satisfaction.