The Skoda Kodiaq will be the name of the brand’s first three-row SUV, but what does its name mean? And why is it spelt with ‘q’ not a ‘k’?
The Kodiaq is named after the Kodiak bear commonly found in Alaska and hailing from the Kodiak Island, where around 3,500 bears live alongside 14,000 people. The Kodiak bear is also known as the Kodiak brown bear, Alaskan grizzly bear or by its scientific name ursus arctos middendorffi.
Using the ‘q’ instead of the commonly used ‘k’ in English is, according to Skoda, is a tribute to the native Alutiiq people. In the Alutiiq language, the Kodiak brown bear is known as Taq uka ‘aq, with the last ‘q’ indicating that it’s an animal name.
The new Kodiaq (above) uses the Volkswagen Group’s MLB component set, and its styling a slightly toned down version of the Vision S concept (below).
Update #1: The Kodiaq name has been confirmed by Skoda, and we’ve added more details about its spelling.
Update #2: Added official photos of the new Kodiaq (above).
