Voltswagen’s US title transform was just a marketing and advertising stunt

UPDATE: On Tuesday afternoon, a resource at Volkswagen of America verified to Motor Authority that the prepared title modify to Voltswagen of The us was an elaborate April Fools Day stunt to drum up focus for the automaker’s change toward electric powered vehicles. “It was a little bit of enjoyable to highlight what we are performing in the e-mobility house,” the resource mentioned.

The information originally broke on Monday and the automaker seemed to verify the shift early on Tuesday.

In addition to the revised name, VW said there would be revised brand suggestions and an up-to-date structure for the automaker’s internet site.

In a statement, Kimberley Gardiner, head of advertising for VW’s U.S. arm, explained we would see the brand name transition at all consumer contact details over the coming months. According to the most up-to-date news on Tuesday, that prepare no extended retains, but extra details will arrive out on Wednesday.

2021 Volkswagen ID.4

The approach termed for the legendary VW emblem to continue being, but dark blue would only be employed for designs with inner-combustion engines, even though new electric cars would aspect a gentle blue hue in the logo to differentiate them. The EVs have been also explained to attribute a “Voltswagen” script as an exterior badge.

VW’s EV thrust in the U.S. just lately kicked off with the 2021 ID.4 crossover, 1 of many prepared worldwide versions based mostly on the versatile MEB devoted EV platform. Alternatively of concentrating on other EVs, VW statements the ID.4 will contend with mainstream gasoline crossovers like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. The initially U.S.-current market vehicles will be imported from Germany, but VW strategies to commence neighborhood generation at its Chattanooga, Tennessee, manufacturing unit in 2022.

That is part of a much larger plan at VW’s Volkswagen Group mother or father to make 28 million EVs by 2028, encompassing 70 distinctive designs throughout the German automobile giant’s lots of world wide brands. In addition to affordable MEB-centered styles like the ID.4, the lineup by now consists of luxurious versions like the Audi E-Tron and Porsche Taycan, with a Bentley EV on the way and several many others. By the finish of the 10 years, VW Team plans to have a standardized system for most electric styles, and good-state batteries that the corporation thinks will allow better variety and more quickly charging.

—Stephen Edelstein contributed to this report.