Czech Car Brands

The Czech Republic has very strong roots in the automotive industry: in terms of the number of cars produced per capita, it is the leader, second only to Slovakia. The country ranks sixth in Europe in terms of transportation production. Particularly rapid growth has been observed in the XXI century: the Czech Republic has become one of the top twenty countries producing more than 1 million cars per year.

What are Czech automobile brands?

Czech car brands are a well-developed industry, with more than one million cars produced in this country per year. The major brands are Skoda Auto, Kaipan, MTX, Praga, Tatra, and Motors Luka EV.

The dominant brands in the industry are Skoda Auto, Tatra, and Karosa, which occupy the first three lines of the ranking. Other manufacturers are also well-established in the EU. Since 1897 (the beginning of the country’s automobile industry), their number has increased significantly. In the mid-90s of the last century, the German concern Volkswagen entered the market and significantly intensified cooperation with Czech companies.

Major Czech Car Brands

Previously, Czech automobile companies had common roots with Slovakian ones. However, after the collapse of Czechoslovakia, there was a radical division of industry, including the automotive industry. And since transportation production in this region was very well established, car brands were already well-known, and their products were in demand. This shows the considerable experience in this industry and the high development of the Czech automobile industry.

Skoda Auto

In 1895, Václav Klement, a bookstore salesman, and his friend, mechanic Václav Laurin, opened a bicycle repair store in their hometown. They later switched to the production of motorcycles. So, gradually, the small company grew into the largest automobile organization. Passenger cars in its assortment appeared in 1905. In the 1920s, Laurin & Klement merged with Skoda, which later became part of the Volkswagen concern. The most sensational models of this automaker are Felicia, Octavia, Favorit, and Fabia.

Kaipan

This is a relatively small automobile company headquartered in Smrzowka. It produces passenger vehicles in the high-price segment. In particular, its arsenal includes sports convertibles and convertible roadsters. Having entered the industry business in 1992, it released its first car only five years later – in 1997. The basis for the debut model was the Lotus 7. All variants created thereafter are similar to it, with some changes in corporate identity.

MTX

The beginning of this car brand was laid in 1969 when a repair shop for Skoda racing cars was opened. A year later, the mechanics produced their own sports car called MTX 1-01. By 1980, the company had already created a huge lineup of sports cars, which participated in several international competitions. All of them were developed on Skoda and Lada chassis.

In 1990, the company acquired a convertible based on the Skoda Rapid. At the same time, a roadster and a convertible based on the Favorit and Felicia models were released. Sometime later, the Czech manufacturer presented the fastest car of that time – the MTX Tatra V8, equipped with a 306 hp engine.

Praga

The brand, founded in 1907, still exists today and is owned by PRAGA-Export S.R.O.. It has quite a few legendary cars and other vehicles to its credit, as it was not only involved in the automotive industry. Since 1947, this Czech company switched to the production of military vehicles and trucks. But then it started producing passenger cars again by introducing the Praga R1R supercar. In 2006, it was bought by the British International Truck Alliance. In 2016, the company started developing the Praga R1R again, the first street-legal supercar, which came out in a limited edition of 68 units.

Tatra

One of the oldest Czech companies was founded in 1850 by Ignác Schustala in Kopřivnice, Moravia. At that time, it was called Schustala & Company and was engaged in the production of bricks and baby carriages. It was a very successful manufacturer, as it had offices in several countries. In the early 1880s, the company mastered the production of railroad cars and, in 1897, introduced the first car in central Europe, named President.

In 1918, the company was rebranded and became Kopřivnická vozovka AS. After the end of World War II, the company began assembling luxury trucks and cars. In 2013, Tatra was sold under the hammer and became part of the Czechoslovak Concern. It currently produces light trucks with a ridged frame.

Motors Luka EV

This is the brand name of an electric concept car developed by MW Motors. The vehicle is based on the Tatra JK 2500 and is built on an aluminum chassis. The body material is fiberglass. The car is charged in nine hours from a standard 220-volt network and has four-wheel drive and one gear. The battery charge is enough for about 300 kilometers.

Manufacturer, Other

There are several vehicle manufacturers operating in the Czech Republic which have offices in the country and use in-house technical facilities. These are the international companies Hyundai Motor Europe and Toyota Motor Europe.

Avia

AVIA Motors entered the transportation construction market in 1919. Its founders were Pavel Benes and Miroslav Hein, who opened the company in Prague. Until 1946, the company produced only airplanes. Then buses and trucks of Tatra, Škoda, and Praga brands appeared. In 1967, the organization was licensed to produce two series of Renault cars. Later, another model was added to them.

In the summer of 2013, this Czech company stopped assembling cars, focusing on the production of components for them. In 2016, the company came under the jurisdiction of the Czechoslovak Group, which acquired the plant from Ashok Leyland and gave it its current name – AVIA Motors. In 2017, all production facilities were moved to the industrial area of the new owner, Prselouch.

Jawa

The legendary brand originated in 1929 in Tynce nad Sazawa on the initiative of František Janeczek, who acquired the Wanderer division. At first, the company was positioned only as a motorcycle company, supplying its products to more than 120 countries around the world. The 350 Californian model (1970s) was particularly popular.

The Czech manufacturer released its first passenger car in 1934. It was JAWA 700, created on the basis of DKW. Three years later, a modernized version of JAWA 600 Minor appeared. The production of cars was carried out in small batches and did not stop even during the Second World War.

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech

HMMC has been operating in Nošovice since the fall of 2008. Its founder is the Hyundai Motor Europe Corporation. The result is a plant worth more than 1 billion euros – that’s how much the parent company invested in it, having spent two years on construction. It produces Hyundai cars in three modifications oriented to the European market. The production capacity of the enterprise is 300 thousand cars per year.

Toyota Peugeot Citroën Automobile Czech

TPCA is a joint venture between Groupe PSA and Toyota Motor Corporation, formed in 2002. It was located in Kolín, where it produced three brands of subcompact cars for sale in Europe (Toyota, Citroën, Peugeot). In 2020, the manufacturer suffered an accident due to a defective batch with a pedal falling out and closed. In January 2021, Toyota Motor Europe became the sole owner of the TPCA plant, renaming it Toyota Motor Manufacturing Czech and making it a subsidiary.

Defunct Car Brands

The Czech automobile industry dates back to the far 19th century when the incredibly wealthy Baron von Liebig expressed a burning desire to purchase his own automobile, which was considered an incredible curiosity and luxury. The car was assembled in the workshop of the brilliant mechanical engineer Benz, according to his drawings. On this miracle of technology with a gasoline engine, the Baron covered a distance of almost a thousand kilometers, bypassing several European countries. At that time, it was no longer an absolute record, but it was quite a risky venture. The Czech automobile industry is grateful to the Baron for such a crazy idea and courage of action because this car was the first sign of the automobile industry in the Czech Republic and laid the foundation for the construction of roads in the country.

Aero

This manufacturer began its career in an aircraft factory, so it got the appropriate name – Aero, that is, “air.” The name has been preserved because it characterizes the cars of the brand – light on the move as if floating. The founder of the company is an engineer, Novotny, who developed all the models himself. The first child was the car “Disk” – a two-seater, two-stroke, with a cylinder engine and gearbox from Daimler.

Then came the Enka with a ten-horsepower engine (the most powerful at the time), trucks with front brakes, sports cars Aero 1000 (26 hp), Aero 750, and Aero 662S. In 1937, a four-seat front-wheel drive passenger car appeared. In 1949, the brand was taken over by another company, and in 1952, it was declared liquidated due to bankruptcy.

Karosa

In 1896, Josef Sodomka opened a private carriage factory, so the company still bears this name. In 1948, the company was nationalized and taken over by the state. It was converted to the production of buses, creating an effective competitor to such famous companies as Skoda and Praga. Two years later, the company presented the legendary model 706RTO, which later received many awards. Later on, other bus variants appeared on its back.

In 1989, the company began to experience hard times and sharply reduced production volumes. Renault Corporation came to its aid, modernizing the plants. In 1999, Carosa joined the Irisbus group of companies. In 2007, the company received a new name – Iveco Czech Republic.

Zbrojovka

The Brno-based company moved into the automobile industry in 1924, and before that, it was involved in the production of firearms. Its first model was a passenger car under the Disk brand. It was later improved and replicated as the Model Z. Successful experiments continued for quite a long time, offering customers a variety of cars, including racing cars. But in 1936, due to a sudden financial crisis, production ceased and was never resumed.

SOR

The Czech company SOR Libchavy produced agricultural machinery until 1991, and in 1993, began supplying economy buses to Eastern Europe. The SOR logo is a dark gray monogram of the letters “S,” “O,” and “R,” with the last two letters merging into a single pattern.