Skip to main content
C
CorpDigest
Search

Skoda Auto a.s.

Automotive ManufacturingFounded 1895
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Founders

Who Founded Skoda Auto?

Vaclav Laurin, Vaclav Klement · Founded 1895 · HQ today: Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic

Who founded Skoda Auto?

Skoda Auto was founded by Vaclav Laurin, Vaclav Klement in 1895 in Mladá Boleslav, Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. It is now led by Holger Peters.

Founders
Vaclav Laurin, Vaclav Klement
Founded
1895
Headquarters
Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic
Number of founders
2
Current CEO
Holger Peters (since 2026)
Where was Skoda Auto founded?
Skoda Auto was founded in Mladá Boleslav, Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic in 1895. wikidata.org
When was Skoda Auto founded?
Skoda Auto was founded in 1895.
Who started Skoda Auto?
Skoda Auto was founded by Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement.
How old is Skoda Auto?
Skoda Auto is 131 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

Skoda's story starts with a bicycle. According to company history, Czech bookseller Vaclav Klement wrote to a German maker about repairs to his bike and received a dismissive reply. He then teamed up with mechanic Vaclav Laurin, and in 1895 the pair founded Laurin & Klement in Mlada Boleslav to build Slavia bicycles, then motorcycles from 1899 and cars from 1905.

Vaclav Laurin

Background

Trained mechanic and locksmith who ran the technical side of Laurin & Klement.

Role at Skoda Auto a.s.

Vaclav Laurin co-founded Laurin & Klement in Mlada Boleslav in 1895. He led engineering as the firm moved from Slavia bicycles to motorcycles in 1899 and to its first car, the Voiturette A, in 1905. The company merged with Skoda Works in 1925.

Vaclav Laurin was born in 1865 in Kamení.

Laurin was born on September 27, 1865 and died on December 3, 1930. He was a Czech engineer and industrialist.

Vaclav Klement

Background

Bookseller in Mlada Boleslav who handled the commercial side of the business.

Role at Skoda Auto a.s.

Vaclav Klement co-founded Laurin & Klement in 1895 after, according to company history, a German bicycle maker brushed off his request in Czech for repairs. He ran sales and business development, including racing that promoted the firm's motorcycles and cars, and steered the 1925 merger with Skoda Works.

Vaclav Klement was born in 1868 in Velvary.

Klement was born on October 16, 1868 and died on August 13, 1938. He was a Czech entrepreneur and industrialist.

Skoda Auto a.s.: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Holger Peters

Interim Chief Executive Officer

2026 – Present

As Board Member for Finance and IT, he manages the incredibly strict cost controls that make Skoda the absolute highest-margin volume brand within the entire VW Group.

Klaus Zellmer

Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of the Board of Management

2022 – 2026

Skoda moved from tenth to second in European registrations and set record revenue (~$34 billion (€30.1 billion)) and operating profit (~$2.82 billion (€2.5 billion)) in 2025.

Thomas Schäfer

Chief Executive Officer

2020 – 2022

Serving as CEO from 2020 to 2022, he deeply solidified Skoda's position as a global powerhouse before being promoted to lead the core Volkswagen brand.

Bernhard Maier

Chief Executive Officer

2015 – 2020

Serving as CEO from 2015 to 2020, he oversaw the absolute most successful period of sales growth in the company's entire 125-year history.

Winfried Vahland

Chief Executive Officer

2010 – 2015

Serving as CEO from 2010 to 2015, he laid the absolutely critical global foundation for Skoda's explosive international growth outside of Europe.

Reinhard Jung

Chief Executive Officer

2007 – 2010

Serving as CEO from 2007 to 2010, he guided the company through the severe 2008 global financial crisis, maintaining profitability when rival automakers collapsed.

Compare Skoda Auto a.s. Leadership With Competitors

Skoda Auto a.s. vs Toyota Motor Corporation Leadership →Overview
Skoda Auto a.s. vs Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Leadership →Overview
Skoda Auto a.s. vs Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Leadership →Overview
Skoda Auto a.s. vs Suzuki Motor Corporation Leadership →Overview
Skoda Auto a.s. vs TVS Motor Company Leadership →Overview

Keep researching Skoda Auto

Who Founded Skoda Auto? FAQ

Who were the founders of Škoda Auto?

Škoda Auto was founded by mechanic Václav Laurin (1865-1930) and bookseller Václav Klement (1868-1938) in December 1895 in Mladá Boleslav. In 1925, their firm merged with the industrial enterprise founded by engineer Emil Škoda (1839-1900).

What is the famous story behind Václav Klement's motivation to start the business?

In 1894, Václav Klement bought a German-made bicycle that broke. When he wrote a letter in Czech requesting repairs from the German manufacturer Seidel & Naumann, he received a contemptuous reply in German stating: "If you want an answer, write in a language we understand." Furious, Klement partnered with Laurin to build their own superior Czech bicycles.

Who was Václav Laurin and what was his technical genius?

Václav Laurin was a master locksmith and gifted precision mechanic from Kamení near Turnov. While Klement handled marketing and commercial deals, Laurin served as the chief technical engineer, designing revolutionary motorcycle frames and early four-cylinder automobile engines.

What motorcycle innovation did Laurin & Klement pioneer in 1899?

Laurin & Klement was one of the first motorcycle manufacturers in the world to place the internal combustion engine low in the center of the frame, rather than driving the front wheel, establishing the standard design layout for modern motorcycles worldwide.

When did the founders build their first car, the Voiturette Type A?

In 1905, Laurin & Klement unveiled their first automobile, the Voiturette Type A. Featuring a two-cylinder water-cooled engine generating 7 horsepower, it was an immediate commercial triumph and established Bohemia as an automotive capital.

Who was Emil Škoda and what was his relationship to the car company?

Emil Škoda (1839-1900) was an aristocratic Bohemian engineer who bought Count Waldstein's machine works in Plzeň in 1869, building Škoda Works into one of the largest steel, locomotive, and armament industrial enterprises in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Why did Laurin & Klement merge with Škoda Works in 1925?

After World War I and a devastating fire that gutted their Mladá Boleslav workshops in 1924, Laurin and Klement lacked the capital needed for modern assembly lines. They agreed to merge with Škoda Works in Plzeň to secure massive industrial financing.

What was the origin and meaning of the Škoda "winged arrow" logo?

Introduced in 1926 following the merger, the winged arrow logo (okřídlený šíp) depicts a stylized Native American feather headdress and arrow. It symbolizes technical progress (the arrow), global reach (the wings), and precision craftsmanship (the central eye).

What happened to Václav Laurin and Václav Klement after the merger?

Václav Laurin served as technical director until retiring due to declining health, passing away in 1930. Václav Klement remained on the board of directors as a respected corporate statesman, actively contributing to company strategy until his death in 1938.

What honors and monuments commemorate the founders in Mladá Boleslav?

The primary boulevard running past the main manufacturing plant is named Třída Václava Klementa. The Škoda Museum in Mladá Boleslav occupies the original brick factory halls where Laurin and Klement built their earliest Slavia bicycles and Voiturettes.

How did the founders cultivate international export markets in the early 1900s?

Václav Klement was an audacious global promoter who personally raced motorcycles across Europe, secured dealer partnerships across Germany, the Russian Empire, and the UK, and exported over a third of production before World War I.

What enduring cultural values did Laurin and Klement leave behind?

The founders established the principles that still define Škoda today: respect for the customer, accessible and durable engineering, national industrial pride, and the courage to challenge established foreign competitors.

Related Founder Profiles

Compare founding stories, origins, and entrepreneurial journeys

Competitor

Toyota Motor Corporation

View Founder Profiles
Competitor

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

View Founder Profiles
Competitor

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

View Founder Profiles
Competitor

Suzuki Motor Corporation

View Founder Profiles
Competitor

TVS Motor Company

View Founder Profiles
Competitor

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG

View Founder Profiles

Explore Skoda Auto

Core profile pages, founders and related research hubs for this company.

Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.