SKODA Superb Combi wins the ‘Red Dot Award’ for exceptional product design

Mladá Boleslav, 30 March 2016 – The international jury of experts of the ‘Red Dot Award’ have declared the new ŠKODA Superb Combi the winner in the ‘Product Design’ category. The mid-size Combi, which was presented around 6 months ago, thereby wins one of the world’s most famous and prestigious design competitions.

With its perfect combination of aesthetics and functionality, the Combi version of ŠKODA’s flagship underlines the brand’s engineering and design competence. The mid-size Combi is passionate, modern and emotive. With its outstanding level of space as well as its modern assistance systems for safety, comfort and connectivity, the new-generation Superb moves to the upper end of the mid-size car segment.

With these qualities, the new Superb model range has made an excellent start and is being well-received by customers and trade press in equal measures. The top-of-the-range Combi has now convinced the high-level international jury of the ‘Red Dot Design Awards’ with its dynamic and confidently stylish elegance.

"We are delighted that the emotive design of the new ŠKODA models is being so well-received by our customers and trade experts," said ŠKODA Head of Design, Jozef Kabaň. "Nowadays, everyday objects are seen not only as functional, but also in an emotional way." ŠKODA cars will also stand out from the competition in the future with their convincing balance of functionality and aesthetics," Kabaň continued.

The new Superb Combi transfers ŠKODA’s new expressive design language into the mid-size estate car segment. At the same time, the new Superb Combi reaches a new dimension in terms of space and comfort. With a boot capacity of 660 litres, the Superb achieved top marks in its segment. With the rear seats folded down, the luggage compartment increases to 1,950 litres. Besides its generous interior, the spacious car offers a wealth of ‘Simply Clever’ features.

Professor Dr Peter Zec, founder and CEO of the ‘Red Dot Awards’, explained: "With their performances, the Red Dot winners are not only proof of extraordinary creative quality,

but they also demonstrate that design is an integral part of innovative product solutions." His personal opinion of the new award winner: "The new Superb has a great silhouette and is a wonderful car."

The independent expert panel of the ‘Red Dot Award’ discusses and judges every single submission in person and on-site according to certain criteria, such as degree of innovation, design quality, functionality and environmental compatibility. The ‘Red Dot’ is regarded worldwide as a seal of high-quality product design and was awarded this year for the 61st time. With around 5,000 applications annually from over 50 countries, it ranks among the largest design competitions in the world. The jury is made up of independent designers, design professors and specialised journalists. In 2016, the jury composed of 41 members for the first time – more than ever before in the history of the prestigious award.

ŠKODA receives the ‘Red Dot’ for the ninth time. The first model of the long-established Czech brand to be adorned with the seal of quality was the Octavia Combi in 2006. In 2013, the new, emotive design language of the long-established company – as seen in the ŠKODA Rapid – was awarded the ‘Red Dot Award’ for the first time.