• Activities in arenas generate high awareness
• New brand appearance reaches 700 million TV viewers
• Big run on ŠKODA car presentations
• Contract as official main sponsor of IIHF World Championship extended until 2017
• MVP Trophy handed over by head of ŠKODA, Prof. Dr. h.c Winfried Vahland

Mladá Boleslav, May 16^th, 2011 – Czech car manufacturer ŠKODA rates its activities within the framework of the 2011 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia as a great success. With a strong presence and manifold measures in the arenas, the brand was on everyone's lips and in everyone's eyes not only among the over 406,804 on-site spectators in Bratislava and Košice. Board advertising, logo placements and numerous further activities on TV and on internet ensured the ŠKODA sponsorship with the new brand appearance to be reaching millions of ice hockey fans all over the world. ŠKODA left its mark at this world championship and provided a basis for continuity also in the future: the involvement as official main sponsor of the IIHF World Championship, which has already been going on for 20 years, was extended until the year 2017.

„It was a fantastic world championship both from the sporting and the organizational point of view. We are happy that we were able to support this outstanding event. The course of the two weeks in Slovakia has once again reinforced our decision to continue our involvement also in the coming years“, emphasized the head of ŠKODA, Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland. „The coming years of this partnership will be good years for ŠKODA and good years for the IIHF. Ice hockey is a perfect fit for ŠKODA. It is an absolutely consistent sponsorship that has contributed sustainably and positively to increase image and awareness for the brand on international markets. For us it is just a matter of consequence and consistency to continue with this sponsorship", said Prof. Vahland after the final ceremony of the world championship, during which he handed over the trophy for the best player of the tournament to Sweden's goalie Viktor Fasth.

Approximately 700 million world-wide TV viewers and 406,804 arena visitors followed the games in Slovakia. The Czech automobile manufacturer was as present as never before: Whether it was the vehicle fleet for officials and guests consisting of 40 cars, or the large ŠKODA logo in the center circle of the playing fields, or the placement of the logo on banners as well as on jerseys and helmets of a total of five teams, or the activities around the stadiums and on the Internet: ŠKODA left its mark at this world championship, which is underlined by some further impressive numbers:

• The official ŠKODA car fleet covered a total of over 250,000 kilometres
• The TV visibility of ŠKODA brand presence within the live transmissions of the games reached over 65% of the broadcasting time
• 37 of the 56 games featured teams with official ŠKODA advertising on their jerseys and helmets
• The new iPhone app "Official 2011 IIHF World Championship Guide powered by ŠKODA" was downloaded by far over 100,000 users to their iPhones and iPads
• More than 30,000 visitors took part in the ŠKODA photo promotion "Become a hockey star" either onsite or online
• The new media service "ŠKODA SMS Results" sent out over 14,000 short messages

For more Information, please contact:
Evžen Krauskopf, Communications
P +420 326 811 784
evzen.krauskopf@skoda-auto.cz

Finland is the new world champion. They beat Sweden 6-1 for their second title. Both teams knew the importance of the game and played very defensively during the first part of the game. Paajarvi with a wrist shot scored first for Sweden in the second period, Immonen tied in powerplay and two fast goals in the last period paved the way for Finland. It was an uncredible last period for Finland that scored five goals in the last 20 minutes of the tournament. It was the fourth time that Sweden and Finland competed in an IIHF WC final. In 1992 und 1998 Sweden was the winner, but in 1995 Finland beat Sweden in Stockholm. It was the first WC titel for Finland. Despite of the final Swedens Goalie Viktor Fasth won the Media MVP voting. The trophy for the MVP was handed over by the head of ŠKODA, Prof. Dr. h.c. Vahland.

In an offensive und wild bronze medal game the Czech Republic took the third place with a 7-4 win against Russia. Roman Cervenka had three goals and an assist for the Czechs, Petr Prucha added two goals and an assist. Ilya Kovalchuk scored twice for Russia. „It was exciting for the fans but not for the coaches“, offered Alois Hadamczik, coach of Czech Republic, after the game. The game looked like an old style hockey game with coast-to-coast-hockey. „We made too many mistakes, especially in the second period“, was Wjatscheslaw Bykow, coach of Russia, disappointed after the game. It was the fifth loss for his team in this tournament - something never happened in the history so far. And the last time a Russian team got seven goals against was 1997 against Finland. „We are very happy to bring home a medal. Certainly we battled for winning gold but this bronze medal with the second win against Russia let us feel much better“, said Hadamczik.

On the final day the OC in his conclusion was very happy about the WC: „We had 406.000 spectators in the arenas in Bratislava and Kosice. That is a very satisfying result“, said OC-Chairman Igor Nemecek. „The participating teams were very happy and full of praise.“ More than 1.000 media representatives followed the chamionship in Bratislava and Kosice

• ŠKODA the official main sponsor of the IIHF World Championship for another six years
• Agreement with the IIHF marketing partner Infront extended until 2017
• Ice hockey a significant cornerstone of ŠKODA’s sponsoring strategy

Mladá Boleslav/Bratislava, May 13^th, 2011 – ŠKODA has extended its commitment as the official main sponsor of the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) World Championship for another six years, i.e. until the year 2017. The announcement was made by the Czech automobile company, the ice hockey world federation IIHF, and Infront Sports & Media (the official marketing partner of the IIHF for world championships) within the framework of the 75^th IIHF World Championship in Bratislava today. ŠKODA has already been the official main sponsor of the annual tournament for the world championship title in ice hockey since 1993. Among others, the long-term commitment was honored as the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for “the longest-lasting main sponsorship in the history of sports world championships”.

On the occasion of the announcing of the agreement, the head of ŠKODA, Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland, explained: “We are happy to be the main sponsor of the IIHF World Championship for another six years and thus to continue an extremely successful partnership. ŠKODA is putting the petal to the metal on the international markets. Until 2018, we want to at least double our sales to about 1.5 million vehicles. The fascination with ice hockey is a perfect fit for ŠKODA. The power of the sport will continue to support us on our future growth course.” ŠKODA’s commitment in ice hockey has played a key role for the company since the start of its success story at the beginning of the nineties and has continued to this day to significantly strengthen the image and the profile of the ŠKODA brand on the international markets.

Dr. René Fasel, President of the IIHF, comments: “Škoda’s involvement with the IIHF World Championship and its continued visual presence in national and international ice hockey has made the brand and the sport become almost inseparable. The long-term commitment speaks for itself in regards to the strength of the work achieved by all parties. I am pleased that Škoda, the IIHF and Infront will remain fully aligned to annually deliver the top event in international ice hockey. Reliable partners such as Škoda build the foundation for the continued and successful development of the tournament.”

Philippe Blatter, President & CEO of Infront, comments: “This year’s IIHF World Championship is the first major sports event where Škoda promotes its new corporate identity – a confirmation for the high value of the IIHF platform for marketing partners. The continued collaboration allows all parties involved to take on a long-term perspective and raise this partnership to new heights. Supported by Infront’s tailored services, Škoda can further develop as well as activate its sponsorship – to reach ambitious marketing objectives. We are convinced that the steadfast commitment by Škoda for the IIHF World Championship will also be a benchmark and driving force for other marketing partners.”

ŠKODA demonstrates its support for the IIHF World Championship in many ways. During the world championship in Slovakia that will come to a close this weekend, the Czech automobile manufacturer is as present as never before: Whether it is the vehicle fleet for officials and guests consisting of 40 cars, or the large ŠKODA logo in the center circle of the playing fields, or the placement of the logo on banners as well as on jerseys and helmets of a total of five teams, or the activities around the stadiums and on the Internet: ŠKODA leaves its mark at this world championship. A strong appearance that is expressed very succinctly – not least due to the new corporate design, which has been presented to millions of international TV viewers for the first time.

For more Information, please contact:
Evžen Krauskopf, Communications
P +420 326 811 784
evzen.krauskopf@skoda-auto.cz

<h3>ŠKODA the official main sponsor of the 2011 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia</h3>

• ŠKODA supports the tournament of the best ice hockey nations as official main sponsor for the 19th consecutive time
• Presence of the manufacturer as strong as never before
• New ŠKODA appearance presented to millions of TV viewers for the first time

Mladá Boleslav, April 29^th, 2011 – For the 19^th time in a row, ŠKODA will be the official main sponsor of the annual IIHF World Championship this year. When the 16 best ice hockey nations of the world meet in Slovakia from April 29^th to May 15^th, the Czech automobile manufacturer will be as present as never before: Whether it’s the ŠKODA fleet for officials and guests consisting of 40 vehicles or the placement of the company logo on the ice, banners as well as jerseys and helmets of a total of five teams or actions in the stadiums and on the Internet: ŠKODA leaves its mark at this world championship. A strong appearance that is expressed very succinctly – not least due to the new corporate design, which will be presented to millions of TV viewers for the first time.

“Our commitment to the sport of ice hockey is a central pillar in our sponsoring strategy and makes a strong contribution to the name, recognition and image of the ŠKODA brand in the international markets. We are proud of having been able to actively support one of the most important international sports events for so many years,” emphasizes Jürgen Stackmann, the ŠKODA board member for Sales and Marketing, pointing towards the long-term partnership, for which the manufacturer has even received recognition with a GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for the “longest-lasting main sponsorship in the history of sports world championships”. “The fact that the IIHF World Championship will take place in Slovakia for the first time this year is something special for us, of course, because as a Czech brand we have deep roots in our neighboring country. Moreover, the 56 matches of the world championship in Bratislava and Košice are a perfect opportunity to present our new corporate design to an audience of millions of people worldwide for the first time,” said Stackmann.

The sponsoring activities by the Czech manufacturer are expressed in a wide variety of ways: First of all, during the world championship a ŠKODA fleet consisting of 40 vehicles is on the road around the Slovak stadiums and in other towns. 33 Yeti SUVs and seven Superb station wagons support the mobility of officials and guests. At every game, the new ŠKODA logo can be seen at the center circle of the ice rinks as well as on the banners. Also, a total of five national teams exhibit the ŠKODA logo on their jerseys and helmets when they’re on the ice: ŠKODA teams up with the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, Norway, and Slovenia. Furthermore, the current models of the manufacturer are presented in the arenas.

Finally, a wide-ranging number of ŠKODA vehicle presentations with many events and surprises await the 350,000 spectators at the stadiums in Bratislava and Košice. And the manufacturer continues its sponsoring activities on the Internet as well: A special website for the 2011 IIHF World Championship, which is accessible via www.skoda-auto.com, offers a live ticker and up-to-date results and tables as well as daily news about the world championship and a lot of interactive fun. Also for the first time, with ŠKODA’s support, there will be an official IIHF World Championship Guide as an app for iPhones and iPads.

For more Information, please contact:
Evžen Krauskopf, Communications
P +420 326 811 784
evzen.krauskopf@skoda-auto.cz

ŠKODA to provide the official vehicle fleet
for the 2011 IIHF World Championship
in Slovakia

• 40 ŠKODA Yeti and ŠKODA Superb will be used
• ŠKODA a sponsor of the IIHF World Championship for 20 years

Bratislava, April 12^th, 2011 – 40 vehicles made by ŠKODA will form the official fleet of this year’s IIHF World Championship, which will take place in Slovakia, starting at the end of April. The models to be used will be the Yeti and the Superb. Today, the cars were officially handed over to the championship’s organizing committee at the new Slovak National Theater. It is already the 20^th time that ŠKODA will provide the vehicles for an IIHF World Championship. Moreover, the company has been the main sponsor of the annual championship since 1993.

“Year after year, the encounter of the world's best ice hockey nations at the IIHF World Championship excites people all over the world. We are happy to provide the vehicles for this outstanding sports event again this year,” explains Jürgen Stackmann, the ŠKODA board member for sales and marketing. “For two decades, ice hockey has been an essential pillar of our sponsoring strategy. Our commitment has contributed to significantly strengthen the image and recognition of the brand on the international markets. The fact that we can celebrate the 20th year of this cooperation in Slovakia is particularly pleasing, because ŠKODA has strong roots in this country. If nothing else, the 56 games of the world championship in Bratislava and Košice offer us a perfect opportunity to present our new corporate design to a worldwide audience in the millions.”Igor Nemeček, the general secretary of the World Championship’s organizing committee, adds: “We are glad to have an absolutely reliable partner in ŠKODA. Our guests know and appreciate the quality and reliability of the vehicles and the entire fleet service. We thank our partner for their support and look forward to a smooth collaboration.”The official ŠKODA fleet for the IIHF World Championship consists of 33 ŠKODA Yeti 1.2 TSI Cool in silver-metallic color, five ŠKODA Superb Combi 2.0 TDI 4x4 Elegance in silver-metallic color as well as two ŠKODA Superb Combi 3.6 FSI V6 DSG 4x4 Elegance in silver-metallic and white colors. All vehicles show the official design of the World Championship. Within the framework of the World Championship, the fleet will cover a total of about 250,000 km for the transportation of officials, guests, and materials.Further Information:Evžen Krauskopf, CommunicationsPhone: +420 326 811 784E-Mail: Evzen.krauskopf@skoda-auto.cz