Skoda has officially initiated series production of the new Skoda Octavia in Mladá Boleslav. The new model will be launched in the first European markets in late January 2013.

“The Octavia is the heart of Skoda brand,” says Skoda ceo Winfried Vahland. “Our people have employed competence and passion to create the best Octavia ever. This car is a class of its own in every respect. It is a great moment to give the starting shot for the third generation here at our main plant today.”

From today until 2015, Skoda plans to launch a new or revised model every six months on average. The increase of model launches is to extend the brand’s current growth course, the aim being to raise the number of cars sold worldwide to a minimum of 1.5 million per year by 2018.

The third generation is set to continue the success story of the Octavia which contributed to 44% of worldwide deliveries in the first eleven months of 2012.