Czech’s Škoda‘s formal U.S. return is far from guaranteed, however Automotive News Europe reports that the company hasn’t dismissed North American sales, which it has actually filed hallmark applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to safeguard its trademark name and logos on coasts. Reportedly, trademarks were submitted for the Superb Sedan, Octavia hatchback and the Yeti SUV. Škoda is also bringing a seven-passenger SUV, the Kodiaq, to market quickly, which would most likely fit the United States market’s needs well.
While it’s always tough to present a European brand in the United States for mass market consumption, one expert cited by Automotive News believes Škoda could work in the U.S.
Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, a German car analyst, told a local paper that “Skoda might be the most affordable option” to change the tainted Volkswagen brand name in the United States. Volkswagen could market cars it’s currently producing in Europe, under a brand that does not carry the NOx-polluted luggage that the VW badge brings today.
This would not be Škoda’s very first look in the U.S. market. For a couple of years in the late 1950s, Škoda imported the Felicia convertible into the United States, however it was prohibitively costly compared to domestic-made vehicles and didn’t performed well. That it came from a communist nation probably didn’t assist its opportunities either. Fortunately, that’s not a concern today.
