ŠKODA New Zealand (European Distributors Limited) is an Auckland-based team within the wholesale division of New Zealand’s largest privately held automotive enterprise, Giltrap Group Holdings. ŠKODA New Zealand is the official distributor of the award-winning ŠKODA range of vehicles and local custodian of the ŠKODA brand. At the beginning of December 1895, mechanic Václav Laurin and book-seller Václav Klement started manufacturing bicycles of their own design, patriotically named Slavia. A few years later in 1899, the Laurin & Klement Co. began producing motorcycles with impressive commercial success. After initial experiments at the turn of the century, the young company produced their first car in 1905. The firm was renamed ŠKODA in 1925 and now, as one of the world’s three oldest automotive brands, ŠKODA has continued to grow from strength to strength and is now one of the largest vehicle manufacturers in Europe approaching an annual volume of 1 million customer deliveries worldwide. Although a proudly Czech brand, ŠKODA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group with such stable-mates as Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche and of course, Volkswagen. For more information visit www.skoda.co.nz