Loading AI tools
Defunct Bohemian bicycle, motorcycle and automobile manufacturer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Laurin & Klement was a Czech automobile, motorcycle and bicycle manufacturing company founded in 1895 in Mladá Boleslav, Kingdom of Bohemia by automotive pioneers Václav Laurin and Václav Klement. Car production commenced in 1905, and the company soon became the largest car manufacturer in Austria-Hungary. It was acquired by industrial conglomerate Škoda Works in 1925 and re-branded as Škoda Auto, which is today the largest car manufacturer in the Czech Republic and a part of the Volkswagen Group.[1]
Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Automotive |
Founded | 18 December 1895 |
Founder | |
Defunct | 1925 |
Fate | Reincorporated |
Successor | Škoda Auto |
Headquarters | Mladá Boleslav, Kingdom of Bohemia, Austria-Hungary |
Owner | Škoda Auto (Volkswagen Group) |
---|---|
Introduced | 1895 |
The company was founded in 1895 and engaged in the production of new bicycles as well as doing repairs, their first bicycles being called Slavia. The company was named after its two founders: Václav Laurin (born 27 September 1865, died 4 December 1930), and Václav Klement (born 16 October 1868, died 13 August 1938).[2]: 77
Car production commenced in 1905, and the company soon became the largest car manufacturer in Austria-Hungary. In 1925 the company was acquired by the Škoda Works, and operated henceforth under the brand Škoda Auto (Škoda).[2]: 76–77
Today, the Laurin & Klement name is used by Škoda Auto to distinguish especially luxurious editions of some of their car models (Yeti, Octavia, Superb and Kodiaq).[3]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.