Volkswagen Group plans to change its name to "Voltswagen" in the United States
And we really believed it... But it was just an April Fools' Day joke... “We didn't mean to mislead anyone,” said a Volkswagen spokesman in Wolfsburg. "The whole thing is just a marketing campaign," associated with the release of a new, all-electric VW SUV.
Volkswagen plans to change its name to "Voltswagen" in the United States to emphasize its transition to electric vehicles. It is reported by CNBC. At the same time, the company does not renounce its status of a production car manufacturer (the German word "volks" means "people"), but now it will produce people's electric cars.
Volkswagen of America, the American division of the German carmaker Volkswagen, will officially change its name to Voltswagen of America in May 2021. This news was published on the Group’s website. The press release was later deleted, but CNBC confirmed its authenticity. An unpublished press release called the name change "a public announcement of the company's future investment in e-mobility." The message said that the new Voltswagen logotype in light blue would be placed on all electric vehicle models. It is not clear yet whether it will be next to or instead of the iconic VW emblem. Petrol cars will retain their old name and blue emblem with the VW abbreviation.
The new name is very symbolic, because it is derived from the term "volt", the unit of measurement of electrical voltage, and directly announces the company's plans to switch to the production of electric vehicles.
For reference: Volt is a unit of measurement of electrical potential, potential difference, electrical voltage and electromotive force. It is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, who in 1800 invented the first electric galvanic battery, namely the voltaic pile.
“The climate crisis is the greatest challenge of our time. To mitigate its impact, it is imperative that we limit global warming. We at the Volkswagen Group have made a clear commitment to the Paris climate targets. The entire Group will be balance sheet carbon-neutral by 2050 – including our vehicles, plants and all processes.”
Therefore, Voltswagen is more than just a name change, it is a public statement of intent to become the largest electric vehicle manufacturer in the world. According to current plans, the Volkswagen Group will invest nearly 73 billion euros in e-mobility, digitalization and hybridization by 2025. 35 billion euros of this amount will go to electric vehicles. By 2030, the Group plans to bring to market 70 all-electric models as well as 60 hybrid vehicles. In the next ten years, Volkswagen plans to build about 26 million vehicles using its own electric platforms.
Interestingly, earlier this year, GM also announced a new logotype and advertising campaign targeting electric vehicles. However, it never came to the name change...
Read more at: https://www.volkswagen-newsroom.com/en/stories/how-volkswagen-is-becoming-a-climate-neutral-company-6823
