Skoda has recently filed for a number of trademarks with the US Patent and Trademark office. Volkswagen's Czech brand is protecting the names Skoda Superb, Octavia, and Yeti for the first time ever in the US. Sometimes companies will file for patents just to protect the names out of caution. Who knows, maybe GM will want to make a Yeti one day. However, the alternative reason is that Skoda could be returning to the US. Amazingly, this idea is not out of the question even in the aftermath of the Dieselgate scandal.

Profits of the Volkswagen (the brand itself) are down 86% since the scandal hit. However, the Volkswagen Group as a whole is still profitable thanks to money-making marques like Audi, Porsche, and Skoda. We aren't sure whether the Skoda brand would replace the Volkswagen brand in the US (doubtful), or act as a more affordable alternative to domestic car companies (more likely). The next generation Octavia is expected to debut in 2017 or 2018, and it might be a cheaper alternative to a Golf. Do you think that Skoda could succeed in the US?