[Eshan Joshi]

Volkswagen of America will become Voltswagen (emphasis added) of America in April, according to a press release briefly available on the automaker's Web site. The company has already removed this document.

Given the timing, the obvious initial reaction was that this was going to be an April Fool's joke by the automaker to promote its EVs. However, an unnamed "person familiar with the company's plans" told Automotive News that this wasn't just a prank.

Despite these anonymous statements, there is good reason to be dubious about Volkswagen changing its name to Voltswagen for an extended period of time. First, searches of the US Patent and Trademark Office and World Intellectual Property Organization show no live trademarks for "Voltswagen."

Also, rebrandings are expensive. Every reference to the company has to change, whether it's online or any of the myriad documents that dealers use to sell a vehicle. Is all of that effort with changing one letter in a name?

One possibility about this upcoming announcement is that it could be a temporary change, rather than a long-lasting one. This isn't without precedent, either. In 2003, Wolfsburg, the city where VW has its headquarters in Germany, briefly became Golfsburg to mark the launch of the fifth-gen Golf.

For More:
https://www.motor1.com/news/497552/v...-change-rumor/



I honestly think it is a joke , but you never know.

[TrackDay]

Voltswagen will be placed as an exterior badge on all EV models with gas vehicles having the company’s iconic 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 and use 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.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/29/vw-a...oltswagen.html

While brands like GM, BMW & Renault changed their logo, VW has gone the extra mile. This also might be an attempt to hide from the Emission scandal, though if it is for that, then it is a poor attempt. Better to be an April fool prank than that.

[racer_ash]

I hope its not an premature April fools day news from VW!!!

[sri_tesla]

Volkswagen Group of America changed its brand name of Volkswagen of America to Voltswagen of America.

https://media.vw.com/en-us/releases/1499

[CEF_Beasts]

Looks like only VW’s electric car division will see the change from ‘k’ to ‘t’.

Volkswagen’s American division appears poised to change its name to "Voltswagen," switching the "k" to a "t" in a nod toward the automaker’s investment in electric vehicles.

The German automaker's announcement on the change appeared briefly on its media site Monday before it was removed, having apparently been released before it was ready for an official rollout.

Volkswagen spokesperson Brendan Bradley declined to comment Monday.

But VW was not hacked, the announcement is not a joke, it's not a marketing ploy and the plan is for the change to be made permanent, said a person familiar with the company’s plans on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The news release, which was dated April 29 when it was accidentally posted, was published March 29 before it was ready to be distributed, the person said. A USA TODAY reporter noticed the announcement on VW's website and saved it before it was removed.

According to the announcement, electric models would get an exterior badge with the name “Voltswagen,” while gas-powered vehicles will have the standard “VW” badge. It was not immediately clear Monday whether any details of the plan are still subject to change.

https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/7048576002

[androdev]

And pronounced as Foltswagen?

[RavSam]

Originally Posted by androdev

And pronounced as Foltswagen?

It's in America bro! Hoondai people won't call it Foltswagen and then meme it up to call it Faultswagen if they encounter a large number of problems with it.

[akash_v12]

Too close to April Fool's eh? They might as well change it up to Faultswagen

[BikerSuz]

It was indeed a premature April fool joke!

https://nypost.com/2021/03/30/vw-say...il-fools-joke/

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by BikerSuz

It was indeed a premature April fool joke!

https://nypost.com/2021/03/30/vw-say...il-fools-joke/

And a very naive attempt at that, I would say, just to push more for it’s EV business intentions in the US market.

Quoting from the article:-

officials at VW headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, told The Wall Street Journal that the press release and name change were merely a marketing spoof to raise awareness about the company’s first all-electric sport utility vehicle, the ID.4, which went on sale in the US this month

From a company which can make some good timeless designs for its cars, such attempts surely are forgettable!

[sandeepmohan]

Lame on VW. When people did question it on being an early April fool joke, VW confirmed it was a legit name change and its now the other way round. Does not do you any good in a market you've been trying to break for a long time (One that you conned too). When you are trying to lead change, make a new name for yourself with Electrify America, such things don't go down very well.

[Nikhildrao]

It's said that germans lack a sense of humor,and this proves it. Why would you rebrand your company into a bad pun. Hope the cars are better and amazing compared to their marketing department. Waiting for the ID Buzz !

[GTO]

I bought it for a second. For the biggest (or 2nd biggest) car company in the world, VW has a surprisingly poor presence in the USA (2nd biggest car market in the world) and always struggled in that market. The diesel emission fraud scandal gave a further body blow to their reputation.

Now that VW is betting big on EVs, I frankly thought that a rebranding exercise in the USA was a great idea to show their commitment to zero-emission cars. The rebranding would be low risk too as it was anyway in the USA only where they have a relatively small presence.

[VKumar]

Even if it was a prank, it was quite tasteless! Voltswagen sounded really lame. There is something really wrong with the sense of humor of Germans, seriously.

These guys need to go head hunting and get some people from Durex, probably the marketing teams will start churning out some interesting ads and campaign after that. And with the level of creativity those guys have, maybe they make the people sit and talk about the VW brand at least!

[SKC-auto]

When the anonymous sources also want to play April fool's day.

"But VW was not hacked, the announcement is not a joke, it's not a marketing ploy and the plan is for the change to be made permanent, said a person familiar with the company’s plans on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly."