History: Tracing the Škoda Superb from its 1930s origins through generations of innovation

› More than 1,600,000 units of the Superb manufactured to date
› The “Superb” name has a long tradition as the designation of the Czech car manufacturer’s top model
› The fourth modern Superb generation continues this legacy, featuring advanced technologies and an enhanced design

Mladá Boleslav, 11 March 2023 – The first generation of the modern Škoda Superb was launched in 2001 – nearly seven decades after the original Superb’s debut in 1934. To date, more than 1,600,000 units have been manufactured. Over the years, both the hatchback and Combi estate body styles have garnered numerous international accolades and awards from renowned car magazines.

The predecessor of today’s Superb models, the Škoda 640 Superb, was launched in 1934 and offered a comfortable, quiet and responsive ride. Measuring 5,500 mm in length, it provided ample room for up to seven people. The Superb introduced several innovations, including an advanced central tube frame with independent wheel suspension. The onboard wiring worked with a then revolutionary 12-volt system, which is still used in cars today. The model was powered by a six-cylinder engine with a displacement of 2,492 cm³ and an output of 40.5 kW (55 hp).

More than 50 years later, Škoda relaunched the Superb. The first modern model generation was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2001, and the Superb has been the brand’s flagship ICE model ever since. By 2008, around 137,000 units had rolled off the production line. The Superb was the first Škoda model to offer such features as bi-xenon headlights, automatic Tiptronic transmission and the Coming Home function, which kept the dipped headlights on for a short time after the doors closed. Earning widespread acclaim, the Superb was also named “Best Import Car” by German car magazine “Auto Bild”.

In 2008, Škoda presented the second generation of the modern Superb, the first to offer optional all-wheel drive. In 2009, the Czech automaker expanded the series to include the particularly spacious Combi estate. By 2015, the second-generation Superb had attracted 618,000 buyers, far outselling its predecessor. The second generation also won a host of international awards: British car magazine “Top Gear” named it “Luxury Car of the Year” in 2009; in 2012, it claimed the title of “Best Import Car” in its category in the “Best Cars” readers’ poll by German car magazine “auto motor und sport”.

Launched in February 2015, with the Combi estate following soon after, the third iteration of the modern Superb was built on the Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform. Once again equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, it was the first Škoda model to feature a DCC adaptive chassis, tri-zone climate control, and pioneering assistance systems like Traffic Jam Assist and Emergency Assist. Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Assist and Travel Assist added to the Superb’s capabilities. The third modern generation of the Škoda Superb has been the best-selling generation of this series to date. The 2016 Combi estate accounted for approximately 54 per cent of the nearly 860,000 vehicles produced. In Germany, Škoda’s largest single market, over 90 per cent of all Superb vehicles delivered were Combi estates. The international awards included the 2016 Red Dot Award for exceptional product design. In 2017, readers of German car magazine “AUTO Straßenverkehr” voted the Škoda Superb Combi best import car in the 25,000 to 30,000 euro category. The 2019 update saw the debut of Škoda’s first plug-in hybrid model – the Superb iV. Across all generations, more than 1,600,000 Superb models have been built worldwide, with the fourth-generation Superb poised to continue the series’ legacy of success.