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The Skoda Felicia is a family car produced between 1994 and 2000 which also included a range of light commercial vehicles. The name comes from the Latin for felicity, or happiness. A reworked version of the Favorit, it had a more modern look with a redesigned front end, and a much wider range of engines. The Skoda Felicia, also known as the Type 791, is also significant as the first all-new model that was developed after the link between Skoda and VW. The car went into serial production in late 1994 following its unveiling on Charles Bridge in Prague, in October 1994. Three cars in the colours of the tricolour were christened by the Mayor of Prague with water from the Vltava. The cars name refers to a long tradition of car manufacturing in Mlad Boleslav. The Skoda Felicia type 994, having been produced at the start of the 1960s. A range of two-seater sports cars, these were very popular, very funky looking and many are still in operation today. The modern Skoda Felicia not only brought a modern, rounded look and a pleasant interior, but the car also made a huge leap forward in terms of technical quality, reliability and performance compared to what had gone before for Skoda. As the Felicia benefited from Volkswagens input it was clear that Skodas image was to change. It was the first ever diesel powered Skoda and became their first car to feature major safety and convenience features.
In 1998, the Felicia made headlines when its high satisfaction score gave Skoda the Best Manufacturer accolade in the JD Power Car Survey. The Felicia came in a variety of bodyworks. The base model was a 5-door hatchback, and was accompanied by an estate. There was also a pick-up version and a panel van called a Cube Van. The pick-up model also had a lifestyle edition named the Felicia Fun, with two reclinable rear seats and a fabric cover. The Skoda Felicias line-up also included the old 1.3LOHV Skoda units, now with Bosch Mono Motronic single point up until 1997, and Siemens Multi Point Fuel Injection, with two power outputs of 54 hp (40 kW) and 68 hp (50 kW). There was also two engines sourced from VW - a 75 hp (55 kW) 1.6L petrol engine and a 64 hp (47 kW) 1.9 SDI diesel. Some SLXI Models featured air-conditioning and Velour upholstery and a five-speed gearbox became standard on all models. The 1.6L model also served as a model for the Skoda Felicia Kit-Car used in the World Rally F2 class.The Skoda Felicia Product range with front axle drive included Skoda Felicia LX; GLX; LXi; GLXi; LX 1.6; GLX 1.6; LX 1.9 D; GLX 1.9 D (type 791).
In 1958 the Skoda company began producing a 2 + 2 sports car with a removable roof. These cars were very popular and many are still around until today, the type 450 being popular in Czechoslovakia and the rest of the world. In 1959 Skoda rebuilt the front axles of all its cars, improving the suspension. They then abandoned the numbered labelling of their cars, the type 450 becoming the Felicia. In 1961 the Felicia super also came into production. Both these cars featured four stroke, liquid cooled, in line four-cylinder OHV, situated length-wise behind front axle. The super benefited from a slight increase in power from 55 to 58bhp.
