Skoda trademarks model names in US for the first time.

[12,000 RPM]

But, to be fair, you shit on the thought of Citroen coming to the US too.

It would be a less bad choice than Skoda

[CaminoRacer]

Yeah Citroen would at least be something different.

No one knows what a Skoda is

[cawimmer430]

At 1:40 he invites random Americans to sit inside the car and asks them about their impressions. The reactions are surprisingly positive.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=34F1eBvlfTo

[12,000 RPM]

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/07/skoda-teases-america-ceo-says-kodiaq-home-run-u-s/

Initial reaction to this was, "hmmm this could work".... but then I immediately thought, "...but this as the Tiguan would work way better"

[Raza]

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/07/skoda-teases-america-ceo-says-kodiaq-home-run-u-s/

Initial reaction to this was, "hmmm this could work".... but then I immediately thought, "...but this as the Tiguan would work way better"

Looks good.

[Galaxy]

Apparently the descision whether to enter the US market or not will be made in 2017. Skoda is currently active in 102 markets. The goal is 120 in 2025. Next year Skoda will enter Iran, South Korea, and Singapore.

[Raza]

Apparently the descision whether to enter the US market or not will be made in 2017. Skoda is currently active in 102 markets. The goal is 120 in 2025. Next year Skoda will enter Iran, South Korea, and Singapore.

Makes sense. Smart not to gear up for the US market when next year we'll have a 500% tax on all imported goods.

[12,000 RPM]

What will being in 120 markets do for profits? I really don't understand automakers sometimes.

[MrH]

I don't think you understand how basic business cases go together for this.  There's an associated gain in sales from the increase in markets presumably.  There's a large, fixed cost associated with creating a new vehicle.  The more volume you can spread it over, the more profitable each car sold becomes.

There's a ton that goes into this equation.

[2o6]

I think Skoda has a potential to work here. Their product line seems better suited to the US, more than Fiat is.

[2o6]

What will being in 120 markets do for profits? I really don't understand automakers sometimes.

Since Skoda is basically VW, these cars are probably already good to go in regards to being federalized or passing crash tests, etc. SUV type cars generally have higher profit than the car line, so this could be extra profit for Skoda. Especially since VW's presence will probably shrink.

[12,000 RPM]

I suppose. Hopefully they use Skoda as an opportunity to test out their hybrid tech. I'd still rather have SEAT

[93JC]

At 1:40 he invites random Americans to sit inside the car and asks them about their impressions. The reactions are surprisingly positive.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=34F1eBvlfTo

Put people in a new Chevy and I bet they'd say many positive things too.

[2o6]

Put them in a used Accent and they'd still probably say nice things.

[12,000 RPM]

To be fair Chevy is making really good cars

But wifey put it best.... mid day surveys are kind of worthless. Who is free to do a survey in the middle of the afternoon? Maybe folks who work weird shifts, but usually folks who don't have anything better to do.

[93JC]

I found that whole video ridiculous from the jump. Especially the remark around 0:50 that "it attracts a lot of attention 'cause it doesn't look like an American car". Ehhhh I don't think so, pal. It looks like a champagne-y beige-metallic colour Passat: I doubt very much anyone noticed anything remarkable about the car at all, except perhaps that that particular one is RHD.

[cawimmer430]

Put people in a new Chevy and I bet they'd say many positive things too.

Good point.

Still, Skoda could be a solid alternative in the mainstream market in North America IMHO.

[93JC]

I have nothing against Skoda but they bring nothing new to the table. It would be a wasted effort on their part. The North American market is saturated.

[93JC]

More expensive?  No.  Using UK pricing information and going by starting MSRP, the Octavia starts at £15,990 and the Jetta starts at £19,155.  So the Octavia starts £3,165 less than the staring price of the Jetta.  And nobody in the UK is buying Jettas, which should tell you something.

After doing some fact-checking, no, the Octavia actually starts at £16,660, not £15,990. That's for a base 'S' trim, which comes packed with a 1.0 L TSI three-cylinder and a six-speed manual and not a whole hell of a lot else. Among the options you'd have to spring for to try to bring an Octavia S in line with a base Jetta S (1.4 TSI) there's £135 for a trip computer, £125 for height adjustment to the front passenger seat, £150 for 16" wheels and £100 for a spare. Yes, it appears the Octavia S is so de-contented a space-saver donut is a £100 option... And heaven forbid you want the car in any colour other than "Pacific Blue": every other colour is an optional extra (this is also the case for the Jetta as well, to be fair).

That £16,660 Octavia is a doorcrasher and nothing more. It's about £17,710 to approach the level of equipment a base Jetta has. (If you want the 1.4 TSI in an Octavia you have to step up to an SE trim and shell out £19,040, which isn't far off the Jetta's £19,155...) I found throughout the model range that a comparably-equipped Octavia is generally priced within about £1,400 of a Jetta.

So sure, it might be a deal as compared to a Jetta. What about its other competitors? A Focus starts at £16,245. A Vauxhall Astra starts at £15,445 (and an Insignia starts at a mere £17,439; not much more for a lot more car than a mere Octavia with a little three-banger).

[cawimmer430]

After doing some fact-checking, no, the Octavia actually starts at £16,660, not £15,990. That's for a base 'S' trim, which comes packed with a 1.0 L TSI three-cylinder and a six-speed manual and not a whole hell of a lot else. Among the options you'd have to spring for to try to bring an Octavia S in line with a base Jetta S (1.4 TSI) there's £135 for a trip computer, £125 for height adjustment to the front passenger seat, £150 for 16" wheels and £100 for a spare. Yes, it appears the Octavia S is so de-contented a space-saver donut is a £100 option... And heaven forbid you want the car in any colour other than "Pacific Blue": every other colour is an optional extra (this is also the case for the Jetta as well, to be fair).

That £16,660 Octavia is a doorcrasher and nothing more. It's about £17,710 to approach the level of equipment a base Jetta has. (If you want the 1.4 TSI in an Octavia you have to step up to an SE trim and shell out £19,040, which isn't far off the Jetta's £19,155...) I found throughout the model range that a comparably-equipped Octavia is generally priced within about £1,400 of a Jetta.

So sure, it might be a deal as compared to a Jetta. What about its other competitors? A Focus starts at £16,245. A Vauxhall Astra starts at £15,445 (and an Insignia starts at a mere £17,439; not much more for a lot more car than a mere Octavia with a little three-banger).

But those are socialist European prices and trims! 

If Skoda were to enter the North American market their cars would most likely be:

1) Cheaper

2) Better equipped


And there is no 3-cylinder engine in any Octavia. All Octavia's have 4-cylinder diesel and gasoline engines. 

[Raza]

The North American market is saturated.

It is?  I guess you can still call it saturated even if the water isn't potable. 

[Madman]

After doing some fact-checking, no, the Octavia actually starts at £16,660, not £15,990.

Upon further investigation, it turn out the base price I quoted for the Octavia was from January, 2013.  Just a little bit out-of date, or so it seems.

Nevertheless, my point still stands.  Model-for-model, spec-for-spec, Škodas are still more affordable than equivalent Volkswagens.  Even the miserable, cost-cut-to-death Jetta.

And, as Wimmer pointed out, any potential North American Škodas will have a simplified choice of engines (no single cylinder lawnmower engines, for example) and different standard and optional features more suited to North American tastes.

Oh, but why bother, right?  We should all just be good little sheep and be happy driving identical beige Toyota Camrys and cookie-cutter crossovers that all look the same.  Sheesh, what is about this place?  It's as if somebody is broadcasting subliminal signals, forever repeating the following chant: "Choice is bad, choice is bad, choice is bad, choice is bad, choice is bad, choice is bad......................"

[2o6]

Skoda isn't really that appreciably different though. It's like VW's Oldsmobile

[Madman]

Skoda isn't really that appreciably different though. It's like VW's Oldsmobile

You could also argue Hyundai and Kia aren't appreciably different.  Yet they both exist under the same umbrella.

[ifcar]

After doing some fact-checking, no, the Octavia actually starts at £16,660, not £15,990. That's for a base 'S' trim, which comes packed with a 1.0 L TSI three-cylinder and a six-speed manual and not a whole hell of a lot else. Among the options you'd have to spring for to try to bring an Octavia S in line with a base Jetta S (1.4 TSI) there's £135 for a trip computer, £125 for height adjustment to the front passenger seat, £150 for 16" wheels and £100 for a spare. Yes, it appears the Octavia S is so de-contented a space-saver donut is a £100 option... And heaven forbid you want the car in any colour other than "Pacific Blue": every other colour is an optional extra (this is also the case for the Jetta as well, to be fair).

That £16,660 Octavia is a doorcrasher and nothing more. It's about £17,710 to approach the level of equipment a base Jetta has. (If you want the 1.4 TSI in an Octavia you have to step up to an SE trim and shell out £19,040, which isn't far off the Jetta's £19,155...) I found throughout the model range that a comparably-equipped Octavia is generally priced within about £1,400 of a Jetta.

So sure, it might be a deal as compared to a Jetta. What about its other competitors? A Focus starts at £16,245. A Vauxhall Astra starts at £15,445 (and an Insignia starts at a mere £17,439; not much more for a lot more car than a mere Octavia with a little three-banger).

On the other hand, car folks rip the Jetta to shreds for being cheap and dull. Is the Skoda perhaps nicer than the Jetta for the same money?

[2o6]

On the other hand, car folks rip the Jetta to shreds for being cheap and dull. Is the Skoda perhaps nicer than the Jetta for the same money?

The Octavia is on a different platform, at least. I think our Jetta is actually a reworked Jetta V, where as the Octavia is on that new MQB platform and probably handles and drives nicer.

[12,000 RPM]

Oh, but why bother, right?  We should all just be good little sheep and be happy driving identical beige Toyota Camrys and cookie-cutter crossovers that all look the same.  Sheesh, what is about this place?  It's as if somebody is broadcasting subliminal signals, forever repeating the following chant: "Choice is bad, choice is bad, choice is bad, choice is bad, choice is bad, choice is bad......................"

Naw, we should stop fooling ourselves into thinking lazy rebadges = "more choice". You think slapping Opel badges on a Catera makes it a whole different car.... it doesn't. Bottom line these things are Volkswagens and we pretty much have the best of those for American tastes. Plus whatever savings you cite from European pricing will be wiped out by the deals VW dealers are being forced to cut in the wake of Dieselgate.

I could see them bringing the Yeti over but it would probably be smarter to just make a VW version and sell it under that umbrella. Outside of that there's nothing Skoda offers that's compelling to the broad US market. But if you want to buy a Jetta and import some Skoda badges and bodywork you are more than free to.

[2o6]

I think SEAT would be a better fit.



But that's just VW's Pontiac....

[12,000 RPM]

Yea SEAT would be awesome for enthusiasts. In other words a waste of time.

[93JC]

But those are socialist European prices and trims! 

If Skoda were to enter the North American market their cars would most likely be:

1) Cheaper

2) Better equipped


And there is no 3-cylinder engine in any Octavia. All Octavia's have 4-cylinder diesel and gasoline engines. 

Well your assertion that the Octavia isn't available with a three-cylinder is plainly untrue: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/skoda/octavia/95904/new-skoda-octavia-10-tsi-2016-review


As for prices, yes, obviously a Skoda would have to be priced to suit the market. My overarching point was that the comparison to the Jetta pricing in the UK was 1) exaggerated and 2) pointless, given the Jetta is obviously not very competitively priced in the UK. Jetta is by far the least expensive VW available here, so it's doubtful a Skoda could be priced any cheaper without losing money on it. Bringing over Octavias to compete with Jettas is stupid.