Škoda, the best Volkswagen Group brand that Americans can’t buy, recently announced it will get into the seven-seat SUV game with a new vehicle called the Kodiaq. And in Kodiak, Alaska, the locals and mayor were so excited they decided to get in on the action by renaming their town for a whole day.
Think about it. You live on “Alaska’s Emerald Isle” surrounded by so many of the world’s largest brown bears that every third person could have one as a pet. Then, a carmaker in the Czech Republic of all places decides to put you on the map forever by naming their new three-row SUV in your honor. The least you could do is help them out a bit with their campaign, right?
Well, the people of Kodiak seem to agree with my theory, having changed the town’s name wherever they could, including on their street signs, police cars, fire engines, fishing boats, advertising boards and even on the town’s official homepage, according to an announcement from Škoda.
While we all know Škoda only spells their SUV’s name with a ‘q’ to be qool enough for the young buyers in Asia, the Czech came up with another explanation:
We have extensively researched life on Kodiak Island and the language of the native people, the Alutiiq. They call the Kodiak bear Taq uka ‘aq – the letter ‘q’ at the end is typical for the names of animals.
Škoda Kodiaq: From the people who brought you the Yeti.
Now, the only thing Škoda needs to do is sell the Kodiaq in America. Alaskans deserve the large SUV named after them.