Wheelnut, don’t confuse mostly industrial czechoslovakia, with rural China and or Russia… Even the communism wasn’t the same…
As I have allready said, everybody worked for the government!! Look up collective farming!!! In Czechoslovakia most families had a holiday home in the country, which usually had a tiny bit of land, where you could grow things. But that was purely for recreation, as there were no venues, nor was it legal to sell your produce anywhere…..

Anyway Wheelnut, don’t forget this is a car site!!

Wheelnut®™ says: “It was a load of rubbish – yet you also mentioned that Skoda Auto was Sepperated from Skoda Works.. which means that I was right in some aspects”

Thats probably the only part during your 2 minute wiki research you could understand!!

Wheelnut®™ says: “Yes After the sepperation Skoda were run by the Czech govt – and that’s why they didn’t have the funds or resources to develop their cars like they did when they were with Skoda works [a major engineering and manufacturing company making artilliery & heavy off road / military vehicles].”

No, during the socialist period of Czechoslovakia, both Skoda and Skoda Works were owned and funded by the government!! Skoda wouldn’t have anymore funds allocated to it, if it was part of Skoda Works… As a matter fact, it was separated, so that it could became a more focused, better funded entity in the socialist planned economy. Also as a result of cold war, Skoda works mostly sold it’s technology (such as nuclear reactors, turbines trains etc…) to eastern, and middle eastern economies… While Skoda still enjoyed some exports of it’s vehicles to the west.
As a matter of fact Skoda even built in NZ, which is unheard of for a communist company to do!!

Wheelnut®™ says:“Because where does the govt get its money from? taxpayers and seeing as the workers weren’t being paid much [that is those who were lucky eought to have a job]the govt couldn’t exactly tax them that much. ”

In a communist run government, just like Czecholovakia, every single bussiness was government owned and run. Profit made by Company A, goes to government coffers, and then (if deemed necessary by the planned economy) can be used to prop up or expand Company B.
Not to mention before WW2, Czechoslavakia was the world’s 7th richest nation,and this is not just per capita, so Czechoslavakia had fair bit of cash saved up, for communist muppets to waste!!

Wheelnut®™ says:”[that is those who were lucky eought to have a job]”
In Czechoslovakia there virtually was no unemployment, as government always found you a job…

Wheelnut®™ says: “Yet Skoda Works continued to sell its products to other international countries [its how they got their reputation for solid reliable vehicles] which means they had more money coming in from various sources.”

You kidding me?? Skoda Works in terms of vehicles, only made trucks and buses, and during that period they were sold strictly to communist states..
Seriusly Wheenut, why do you bother??

Wheelnut®™ says:”when they were sepperated from Skoda works they were at somewhat of a disadvantage as they had to make do with a lot less then what they were used to.. just like an orphan does when they are sepperated from their parents. The Govt couldn’t /didn’t help them as much as Skoda works could /did ”

Are you kidding?? Skoda and and even Skoda Works both became disadvantaged because they became nationalised, and government run. Skoda was actually better off separated from Skoda Works inside a planned economy!! There fore you can’t be too bright to call the government owned and run Skoda orphan!!

Also as a matter of fact, Czechoslovakia became communist, purely because of Russian occupation after WW2, not because of free democratic will!!

Wheelnut®™ says:“As for your coment about their being no incentive for Skoda to iprove their cars given that there was a year long waiting list. Well I suppose then that the same applies to Ferrari; Aston Martin and a number of other companies who build prestigious high performance sports cars?”

Nope, those cars aren’t cheap cars, nor is the companies run in an communist economy…
If they fall behind their competition, the orders will soon dry up, and be canceled, and the company will die!!

Anyway, what’s your point?? Like I have said already, durring the communist period, majority of the Skoda were sold behind the Iron curtain, where it was better then anything else, so there was no real incentive for the Skoda’s to improve!!

So to some up, only a complete idiot would call a Skoda orphan!!

Well I suppose then that the same applies to Ferrari; Aston Martin and a number of other companies who build prestigious high performance sports cars?
Because they to have a year long waiting list for some of their cars [in some cases up to 5 years] however; every year they release a new model with new features; a car that is so much better than the previous model that in the end it creates yet another waiting list.

By sitting on your laurels and not improving your products – even though they may be the best in their class’ you’re at risk of being overtaken by the competition. [a bit like what is happening to Toyota with the Corolla] you lose the impetus & have to start playing catch up

Not only that by staying the same people can start to lose interest – they think why buy a 2010 model when its just going to be the same as the 2009 model? therefore sales fall as do your profits & market share

The reason for that could be because GM haven’t announced that Holden is for sale.

In fact on a number of occassions; ever since their financial problems started and they announced their restructuring plans GM have said that Holden is one of their subsidiaries that will remain part of the GM family. So GM can obviously see that Holden has a lot of potential.

As shown by the fact that GM let Holden design & build a car on an all new platform which could be used under other GM cars [like the Camaro]
Unlike Toyo-oz who are left having to replicate a car which is already being built elsewhere in the world.

Then there’s Holdens input in to the R&D of the Camaro as well as a number of other GM products not to mention the Holden Engine Company

Proof that Holden means more to Detroit than Toyo-Oz means to Tokyo

I just would have liked to have seen them hang on to Opel and get rid of GMC instead – afterall having two companies making similar sized and similar specc’ed vehicles is one of the reasons they ended up in the sh!t in the first place.

The Govt couldn’t /didn’t help them as much as Skoda works could /did

Yes After the sepperation Skoda were run by the Czech govt – and that’s why they didn’t have the funds or resources to develop their cars like they did when they were with Skoda works [a major engineering and manufacturing company making artilliery & heavy off road / military vehicles].

Because where does the govt get its money from? taxpayers and seeing as the workers weren’t being paid much [that is those who were lucky eought to have a job]the govt couldn’t exactly tax them that much.
Yet Skoda Works continued to sell its products to other international countries [its how they got their reputation for solid reliable vehicles] which means they had more money coming in from various sources.