In the early 1900s, the Laurin & Klement Co could do no wrong and their first car, the Voiturette A, was a huge success, becoming a classic in Czech motoring history. The company established a stable position in the developing international market. When war began in 1914, it started manufacturing for the armed forces too. Because of the economic conditions in Czechoslovakia at the time, Laurin and Klement needed a strong industrial partner to strengthen and modernise their company. They were now not only producing a range of cars, but also trucks, buses, aeroplane engines and agricultural machinery, such as motorised ploughs. They merged with Pizen Skodovka Co in 1925 and became ŠKODA.
Article source: www.skoda.co.uk