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DR. MARTIN HRDLICKA, PHD. MBA
HEAD OF CHASSIS AND POWERTRAIN
DEVELOPMENT, ŠKODA AUTO A.S.
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also have our own vocational school
and university, we have established
our own DigiLab, and we are involved
in a wide range of collaborative
and educational activities.
‹Focus›: Does the spirit of Laurin &
Klement live on in ŠKODA today?
‹Dr. Hrdlicka›: Our company is one
of the oldest car companies in the
world – next year we celebrate its
125th year. And ŠKODA employees
are proud of this tradition. Our
company has survived different regimes,
wars and yet the principles
of our founders are still valid for
our customers today.
Václav Laurin and Václav Klement
have left us a huge legacy. For almost
30 years we have been a fully-fledged
part of Volkswagen Group
which has enabled us to reinforce
our position in the global market.
Around the world the spirit of our
Czech brand is linked to the most
modern technology, and I feel that
Dr. Martin Hrdlicka has a long relationship
with ŠKODA, having first
joined the organization in 1993 as
a Design Engineer specializing in
chassis development. The Hrdlicka
family have been connected with
ŠKODA from the very beginning.
The company’s first CEO, Karel
Hrdlicka was Martin’s grandfather,
and Petr Hrdlicka, Martin’s father,
was a member of ŠKODA’s board
of directors, with a focus on racing.
Vaçlav Laurin and Vaçlav Klement,
the original founders, were friends
of the family.
my grandfather Karel Hrdlicka
would be very proud of our company,
our products and that certain
specific ŠKODA character that they
embody. And all of this is reflected
in our motto, “Simply Clever.”
ŠKODA produce all MPI engines
for Volkswagen Group.