Volkswagen's Voltswagen rebrand backfires

Volkswagen says it won’t rebrand its North American division as Voltswagen, as it said it would yesterday.

In a press release titled ‘Voltswagen: A new name for a new era of e-Mobility’, Volkswagen Group of America yesterday said it was “unveiling the official change of its US brand name from Volkswagen of America to Voltswagen of America”.

Reported by global news outlets, the announcement included a new logo and detailed descriptions of the rebranding plan including the intention for all US VW EVs to wear the Voltswagen badge from May, and was supported by social media posts.

“We might be changing out our K for a T, but what we aren't changing is this brand’s commitment to making best-in-class vehicles for drivers and people everywhere,” said Scott Keogh, CEO of Volkswagen of America, as part of the elaborate hoax.

“The idea of a ‘people’s car’ is the very fabric of our being. We have said, from the beginning of our shift to an electric future, that we will build EVs for the millions, not just millionaires. This name change signifies a nod to our past as the people's car and our firm belief that our future is in being the people's electric car."

However, the press release was hastily removed from its US media website and all media channels, and overnight the company issued a follow-up statement backflipping on the idea.

“Volkswagen of America will not be changing its name to Voltswagen,” said the statement. “The renaming was designed to be an announcement in the spirit of April Fool’s Day. We will provide additional updates on this matter soon.”

Confusing matters further, a marketing spokesman from VW’s Wolfsburg HQ in Germany told Automotive News that a draft of the original press release was mistakenly published on Monday and then removed after some news outlets reported on it. It was then republished yesterday.

But even after today’s statement fessing up on the fake news, Voltswagen references are littered across VW’s US public website, suggesting the idea was more than a marketing stunt for the new Volkswagen ID.4.

A key part of Volkswagen’s plan to sell one million EVs worldwide by 2025, the all-new mid-size electric SUV launches in North America this month and is expected to become VW’s first EV in Australia, but not before 2023.

Volkswagen Group Australia spokesman Paul Pottinger today told carsales the German brand had more important issues to deal with Down Under, where the lack of supply and local government EV incentives are being blamed for the slow rollout of battery-powered vehicles more generally.

“It’s something we in Australia knew nothing of,” he said. “Suffice that VGA would love to have the luxury of discussing branding. 

“Instead we’re begging the government to enable the introduction of affordable zero-emission vehicles, something to which it appears at best indifferent.”