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Skoda Might Be Volkswagen's Replacement In The USA

Skoda could become Volkswagen’s next proposition for the American market, even if it were not introduced in the USA in the coming months.
2017 Skoda Kodiaq 106 photos
Photo: Skoda
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The Czech brand, which is owned by the German corporation since the early 1990s, sells cars built on platforms shared with Volkswagen but is unknown in the USA.

Having Volkswagen platforms is essential to selling Skoda cars in North America, mainly because they could easily be adapted to comply with Federal regulations regarding crash testing and other market-specific rules.

While Volkswagen had no reason to introduce an affordable brand to the American market, the Skoda brand is doing well in Europe and China, and Americans might be the next people to embrace their “Simply Clever” tagline.

The idea behind this reasoning is that Skoda would allow the Volkswagen Group to keep selling cars in the USA without the image deficit of the emissions scandal.

The representatives of the company have not confirmed or commented this possibility, but it is known that the German corporation has trademarked the Skoda name and a few of its nameplates in the USA. While it is a way to keep its products safe from copycats, these applications usually reveal future intentions that may include an American offensive.

While the cost of launching a new brand or even killing an existing automotive nameplate can be significant, it might be more affordable for Volkswagen only to sell a few of its models in the USA, while the rest of the range would be replaced by Skoda cars.

Just like the recently discontinued Scion brand, Skoda could be the younger alternative of Volkswagen cars, but without the whole embarrassing part of the emissions scandal.

Since Volkswagen has not applied to sell any diesel-engined cars in the USA, do not expect TDI engines to appear in Skoda’s American offering. Instead, fuel-sipping TSI turbocharged gasoline direct injection engines might be the only options for Skoda cars planned for the USA.

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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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