Editing Škoda Auto (section)

===Škoda===
[[File:Old Škoda Prague2.jpg|thumb|left|Škoda 422 (1929)]]
After World War I, the Laurin & Klement company began producing trucks, but in 1924, after running into problems and being affected by a fire on their premises, the company sought a new partner.

Meanwhile, ''Akciová společnost, dříve Škodovy závody'' (Limited Company, formerly the Škoda Works), an arms manufacturer and multisector concern in [[Plzeň]], which had become one of the largest industrial enterprises in Europe and the largest in [[Czechoslovakia]], sought to enlarge its nonarms-manufacturing base, so acquired Laurin & Klement in 1925. It also started manufacturing cars in cooperation with [[Hispano-Suiza]]. Most of the later production took place under Škoda's name.

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 | image1 = Emil Skoda.jpg
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 | alt1 = Portrait
 | caption1 = Engineer and industrialist [[Emil Škoda]]

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 | caption2  = Škoda logo in 1930s
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An assembly line was used for production from 1930 onwards. Also in 1930, a formal spin-off of the car became a new company, ''Akciová společnost pro automobilový průmysl'' or abbreviated ''ASAP'', happened. ASAP remained a wholly owned subsidiary of the Škoda Works, and continued to sell cars under the Škoda marque. Apart from the factory in Mladá Boleslav, it included also the firm's representation, sales offices, and services, as well as a central workshop in Prague. At the time, the car factory in Mladá Boleslav covered an area of 215,000 m<sup>2</sup> and employed 3,750 blue-collar and 500 white-collar workers.

[[File:Skoda 932 01 (1).jpg|thumb|Škoda Š 932 prototype, 1932]]

In 1932 ASAP-Škoda in Mladá Boleslav Bohemia produced a type [[Škoda 932]] prototype of a streamlined 4-seater two-door car with a rear air-cooled flat-four engine designed by Karel Hrdlička and Vsevold Korolkov. This car's bodywork closely resembled the small car designs yet to come.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Ivan |last=Margolius |title=Škoda's People's Car |magazine=The Automobile |date=June 2023 |volume=41 |issue=4 |pages=34–40}}</ref>

After a decline caused by the economic depression, Škoda introduced a new line of cars in the 1930s, which significantly differed from its previous products. A new design of chassis with [[backbone chassis|backbone tube]] and all-around independent suspension was developed under the leadership of chief engineer Vladimír Matouš and modelled on the one first introduced by [[Hans Ledwinka]] in Tatra. First used on model Škoda 420 Standard in 1933, it aimed at solving insufficient torsional stiffness of the [[Frame (vehicle)#Ladder frame|ladder frame]].<ref name="kralik"/>

The new design of chassis became the basis for models [[Škoda Popular|Popular]] (845–1,089 cc), [[Škoda Rapid (1935–47)|Rapid]] (1,165–1,766 cc), [[Škoda Favorit (1936–1941)|Favorit]] (1,802–2,091 cc), and [[Škoda Superb (1934–1949)|Superb]] (2,492–3,991 cc).<ref name="kralik">{{cite book |last=Králík |first=Jan |year=2008 |title=V soukolí okřídleného šípu |place=Prague |publisher=Grada Publishing |pages=19–22 |isbn=9788024724157 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=nqIokdzDwtoC&q=%C5%A1koda+superb&pg=PA22}}</ref> While in 1933 Škoda had a 14% share of the Czechoslovak car market and occupied third place behind [[Praga (company)|Praga]] and Tatra, the new line made it a market leader by 1936, with a 39% share in 1938.<ref name="kralik"/>