New Skoda Karoq Launch and SUV Event

On Wednesday 10th January Derek Slack Motors played host to The Škoda SUV event and the Launch of Škoda’s newest model, the KAROQ.

It was also a chance to pay tribute to one of Škoda’s most successful models,  the Yeti of which over 600,000 have been produced since its launch in 2009.

Kim Bradley, Community Fundraiser of Teesside Hospice, unveiled the two Karoqs which are now available for test drive. Kim was also there to receive a cheque for funds raised last year by Derek Slack Motors staff and donations from Derek Slack Motors customers.

Invitees of the VIP event were entered into a prize draw for a range of Skoda goodies including a state of the art dash-cam, which was won by Anne Smith of Longnewton. Other prize winners were Mr Ingram of Guisborough and Mr Robert Trewhitt of Stockton.

Equipped for all of life's adventures, the All-New Škoda Karoq sits alongside its larger stable mate  the Škoda Kodiaq in the Škoda SUV family. This flexible and spacious SUV is a fitting replacement for the much loved Yeti. Available to order now from £20,875 OTR. Contact us now to arrange a test drive and be one of the first to experience this exciting new model.

There's Some Gripping 4x4 deals at Derek Slack Motors

ŠKODA currently offers 4×4 in OCTAVIA, OCTAVIA COMBI, OCTAVIA SCOUT, OCTAVIA RS, OCTAVIA COMBI RS, SUPERB, SUPERB COMBI, KODIAQ and KAROQ.

The first all-wheel-drive vehicle in its modern history was OCTAVIA COMBI in 1999. Since that time, the offer of four-wheel-drive cars has expanded. Moreover, OCTAVIA COMBI 4×4 and SUPERB COMBI 4×4 help ŠKODA maintain its leadership in the 4×4 estate segment in six European markets (Switzerland, Norway, Austria, Poland, Spain and Finland).
Visit Derek Slack Motors to see some 'gripping' 4x4 deals

But the brand’s 4×4 history is much older…

The first multi-axle-drive experiments were conducted in the late 1930s. ŠKODA produced several prototypes of three-axle buses with both rear axles driven, but these projects never reached the production stage.

Next came the Type 903, an army vehicle. The Czech Army Headquarters had invited tenders for a vehicle to be used by high-ranking officers in field operations, and ŠKODA had participated in that public tender with the 903, a vehicle prototyped in 1936 (with three prototypes produced in total). Inspired by the ŠKODA 650, a passenger car, the prototype design featured a 45 kW three-litre, six-cylinder engine and three axles (six-wheels), with the two rear axles driven. No contract was ever agreed, however.

Type 903 (1939) - chassis

Type 903 (1939)

Vehicle assembly operations in the Mladá Boleslav plant were limited during the Nazi occupation, but the ŠKODA 903 was one of the few vehicles included into the production portfolio. The plant manufactured an additional 42 vehicles of this type during 1939–1942. The ŠKODA 903 had a top speed of 100 km/h, managed a maximum uphill gradient of 45 %, and had average petrol consumption of 25 l/100 km. The product was available in two versions: one with an open, six-seat passenger compartment with four doors and a convertible roof, the other with a completely open top and longitudinal benches designed to accommodate a total of eight passengers. Probably only three vehicles of this type have been preserved.

In addition, the brand produced a few other 4×4 models during World War II. The three-litre SUPERB OHV was used as the basis for the SUPERB 3000 – Kraftfahrzeug 15 (an army vehicle). That vehicle had rear wheel drive, but the brand also tested a 4×4 version (named the 956).

Type 956

Type T 805 - chassis

Type 972

The company returned to the concept of manufacturing army vehicles several times after World War II. For example, the Mladá Boleslav plant produced nearly 6,500 Tatra 805 vehicles during 1952–1955, but production of this freight vehicle was then moved to the V. I. Lenin Plant in Pilsen.

Built on a shortened chassis and featuring many of the Tatra 805 (1954) components, the 971 was an armoured vehicle (also known as Jarmila, the brand produced three vehicles of this type) and the 972 was amphibious (with five vehicles produced during 1951–1952). The latter was fitted with a screw propeller enabling it to move at speeds of up to 10 km/h in water, and its maximum speed on the road was 85 km/h. The equipment included a lightweight machine gun and two rifles between the seats plus an assault rifle on the driver’s left-hand side.

Type 973 (1952) - back

In 1952, the brand produced the Type 973 with de-activatable front wheel drive. Boasting excellent driving properties, the vehicle was able to cope with uphill gradients as steep as 58 %, overcome vertical obstacles as high as 0.25 m, and stride through water as deep as 60 cm. Warsaw Pact forces tested similar vehicles near Dresden, and the Czech-made 973 proved to be the best of these. Nevertheless, the brand produced only a test series of ca 30 vehicles of this type and then the project was terminated, because the Russian-made GAZ-69 was chosen as the preferred product.

Type 973 (1952) - front

“In many respects, the ŠKODA-made army vehicles were better than the vehicles routinely used by the Soviet Union and/or the Warsaw Pact. Profitability, the requirement to prioritize civil production of an “ordinary people’s car”, and capacities not meeting the demands of the allied armies – all these were aspects that, in the end, led to the decision to focus on off-road vehicles for farmers rather than armies,” says ŠKODA Archive Manager Lukáš Nachtmann.

Agromobil 998

In the early 1960s, the brand cooperated with ČZ Strakonice on developing the Type 998 (known as Agromobil) and, a few years later, the Type 990. Only a few prototypes were produced – their exact number is not known, but it was probably 13 – of which at least two have been preserved. One is owned by the ŠKODA Museum, the other by the Military Museum in Lešany (together with a Type 973, known as Babeta), both these vehicles appeared in the 1964 film If a Thousand Clarinets (Kdyby tisíc klarinetů).
As part of its ŠKODA 1203 modernization project, the brand had considered producing a 4×4 version for farmers (Type 779, 1970).

Stokesley Show 2017

Farmers and families alike turned out for the largest one-day agricultural show the North has to offer.

The Stokesley Show, celebrating its 145th year, had all the traditional farming favourites while adrenalin junkie Jason Smyth impressed in the main ring with his quad stunts.

Founded in 1859, the show has evolved into one of the highlights of the social calendar for farmers in North Yorkshire and further afield.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello at the Derek Slack Motors stand on Saturday. A dull start turned into a glorious sun-filled day and It was nice to see so many of our customers enjoying the sunshine.

From quad stunts to vintage tractors, crafts and poultry to livestock and horses, the show had something for everyone.

ŠKODA MODELS POWER TO THE TOP OF THE DRIVER POWER 2017 NEW CAR SURVEY

The brand secured an incredible gold rush of awards in the Driver Power 2017 New Car Survey with the Superb and Yeti proving to be the star performers, taking first and second place in the overall Car of the Year ranking. The duo also took top honours in their respective segment categories, outscoring the competition in the survey's individual vehicle attribute sections. In total, ŠKODA was awarded 10 Gold, Silver and Bronze awards.

Now in its 16th year, the Driver Power New Car Survey generates results based on feedback from owners and delivers a true representation of what a car is like to own on a long term basis. ŠKODA has historically performed well in the survey and 2017 is the brand’s strongest showing ever.

ŠKODA’s charge to the top was led by the current generation Superb, launched in 2015, which won Gold in the Overall Car of the Year ranking. The Superb also finished as the highest ranked car in the Family Car category and added to its collection of gold awards by outscoring all its competitors in the Interior and Comfort category. Completing a remarkable haul of awards, the Superb also took gold in the Practicality and Boot Space category and earned a bronze award in the Exterior Design category. Learn more about theŠKODA Superb.

Hot on the Superb’s tail, the Yeti comfortably secured gold in the Mid-Size SUV sector and silver in the Overall Car of the Year rankings. A former winner of the Driver Power survey in 2014, the Yeti was also awarded bronze for Interior and Comfort, and took silver in the Reliability and Build Quality category. Learn more about the ŠKODA Yeti.

Not to be out-done by its larger ŠKODA siblings, the Fabia saw off tough competition to be named Best Small Car – winning the brand’s sixth gold award in the process. Learn more about the ŠKODA Fabia.

Commenting on ŠKODA’s remarkable performance, Steve Fowler, Editor-in-Chief at Auto Express said: “It's no surprise to see ŠKODA models back at the top of our Driver Power league table – the brand has produced a series of outstanding models that have pleased owners for many years. The new Superb does exactly that and takes a deserved first place, while the Yeti's strong showing, even as it's about to be replaced, shows that it's not just ŠKODA's most recent models that are satisfying to own.

Full details of ŠKODA’s performance in the 2017 Driver Power New Car Awards can be found in Auto Express magazine and online from today (June 7, 2017).