VW Name-Change to "Voltswagen" is confirmed!

[Luccia at Pelican Parts]

Whaaaat...?!

April fools? NOPE! The news is real and confirmed after Volkswagen accidentally published an announcement on its press site yesterday (Monday). It was to be released late April (the 29th). The change, that comes to its U.S. operations, "Voltswagen of America," is looking to be done in an attempt to highlight its EV program.

Road & Track said:

A senior employee at Volkswagen of America, who asked not to be named, confirmed to Road & Track that the name-change announcement was genuine, and had been erroneously published ahead of schedule.

CNBC said:

The release called the change a “public declaration of the company’s future-forward investment in e-mobility.” It said Voltswagen will be placed as an exterior badge on all EV models with gas vehicles having the company’s well-known “VW” emblem only.

To “preserve elements of Volkswagen’s heritage,” the release said the company planned to retain the dark blue color of the VW logo for gas-powered vehicles, while using a light blue to differentiate “the new, EV-centric branding.”

The release said Voltswagen of America would remain an operating unit of Volkswagen Group of America and a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, with headquarters in Herndon, Virginia.

What are your thoughts?

[UPDATE]

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on Monday, March 29, 2021 at 2:28 PM EST. At that time, and continuing until the early afternoon on Tuesday the 30th, VW of America insisted that the name change to "Voltswagen" was real. But as of late afternoon on Tuesday, both The Wall Street Journal and Yahoo Finance have confirmed with multiple officials at VW's world headquarters in Germany that the whole thing was just a marketing stunt. "It’s a premature April Fool’s joke. It’s part of a marketing campaign for the ID.4," one source in Germany told WSJ. "There will be no name change."

Source here

[Tervuren]

Well...
It tells a lot about what VW thinks of the US market.

[Nostril Cheese]

VW makes god awful electrical systems

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

VW makes god awful electrical systems

Hey man.......

[svandamme]

calling BS on that, it sounds to stupid to be true

[javadog]

Not a fan.

Audi has also announced their intentions to quit making gas burners in favor of stupid electric cars. I'm going to write the CEO and tell him I'll never buy one. This, after buying a dozen Audis over the last 35+ years.

This country doesn't have the infrastructure to turn it's entire fleet to electric and won't, for decades. Electric cars can't yet go far enough for me to ever consider owning one. To foist this crap on the public while ignoring these two glaring problems is just stupid.

F'em.

[cabmandone]

Now there will be a big battery scandal and Voltswagen overstating range of their EV's.

[Norm K]

Originally Posted by javadog

This country doesn't have the infrastructure to turn it's entire fleet to electric and won't, for decades. Electric cars can't yet go far enough for me to ever consider owning one. To foist this crap on the public while ignoring these two glaring problems is just stupid.

And every charging stop is a veritable eternity as compared to a five minute fill-and-go. A cross country trip in the middle of summer, with the A/C running full bore, or the winter, with an electric heater eating up precious miles ain't for me.

Twenty years ago, I figured auto manufacturers would get together and come up with battery packs designed to fit nearly all EVs and that could be changed out in a few minutes so drivers could get back on the road quickly. Packs could be electronically dated so that drivers would receive a pack of similar age to the one they were trading out.

Like my prediction in the late eighties, that within decade pretty much very home would have a fax machine, my EV battery prediction fell totally flat.

_

[javadog]

There isn't much rational thought put into the electric car subject.

[wdfifteen]

"The release called the change a “public declaration of the company’s future-forward investment in e-mobility.” It said Voltswagen will be placed as an exterior badge on all EV models with gas vehicles having the company’s well-known “VW” emblem only.

To “preserve elements of Volkswagen’s heritage,” the release said the company planned to retain the dark blue color of the VW logo for gas-powered vehicles, while using a light blue to differentiate “the new, EV-centric branding.”

Sounds like VW is planning to offer consumers a choice. What the hell kind of marketing strategy is that?

[javadog]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Sounds like VW is planning to offer consumers a choice. What the hell kind of marketing strategy is that?

One that will be celebrated by less than 1% of the public and ignored by the other 99+%.

[Norm K]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Sounds like VW is planning to offer consumers a choice. What the hell kind of marketing strategy is that?

My choice as a consumer has been to not consider a VW as a family/commuter vehicle since, well, pretty much forever.

_

[SCadaddle]

.....and I'm guessing that Audi will soon follow with "Auti" as in a "Rolling Auti"?

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by javadog

One that will be celebrated by less than 1% of the public and ignored by the other 99+%.

EV's share of the annual US car market is closer to 2% and growing every year.

[pksystems]

Are they still going to be some of the most unreliable vehicles produced? (The Mexican built ones)

[javadog]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

EV's share of the annual US car market is closer to 2% and growing every year.

Oh, that's fabulous.

No doubt that's largely driven by Tesla.

An electric VW is not going to get bought by the typical, status conscious, virtue signaler that buys a Tesla.

Hell, Ford will sell more electric vehicles than VW.

Go for it. You're retired and don't need to go anywhere.

[KNS]

Idiotic.

Maybe it will backfire (pun intended) the way NEW COKE backfired on Coca Cola.

[Adrian Thompson]

This is going to be a complete non issue. When was the last time you heard someone refer to one of their cars a Volkswagen rather then just a VW? What are the signs outside the dealership and on the cars? Again VW not Volkswagen. No big deal.

[KNS]

^^

I can't speak for everyone else but I've owned two Volkswagens and almost always say "Volkswagen" rather than just "VW".

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by Baz

Hey man.......

??