Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

Confusion surrounds Volkswagen’s reported name change

Trevor Mogg
By

There’s confusion tonight around whether Volkswagen is really intending to change its name to “Voltswagen” to reflect its pivot toward electric vehicles.

A press release from the German automaker announcing the name change appeared online on Monday, March 29, before being removed a short while later.

While many commentators are suggesting it’s nothing more than an April Fools’ joke that was accidentally posted three days early, others are not so sure.

Related

USA Today, for example, notes that the release was dated April 29, which appears to confirm that the automaker’s American division may indeed be about to undergo a name change for the first time in the company’s 84-year history.

Volkswagen’s hastily removed press release said its electric vehicles would feature an exterior badge bearing the name “Voltswagen,” while gas-powered vehicles will continue to come with the usual “VW” badge.

It added that the move is “more than a name change, ‘Voltswagen’ is a public declaration of the company’s future-forward investment in e-mobility.”

But the statement also included the kind of excruciating pun that you might expect from an April Fool joke: “The new name and branding symbolize the highly-charged forward momentum Voltswagen has put in motion, pursuing a goal of moving all people point-to-point with EVs.”

USA Today said that according to a source claiming to have knowledge of the matter, the announcement is for real and is not a cheap marketing ploy.

But automakers certainly have a track record when it comes to April 1 jokes, with many enjoying the chance to have some fun on the day. Mini, for example, released details for a Mini Hipster Hatch in 2016, a car featuring windows with built-in Instagram filters, a twin-cassette deck, and a stonewash denim interior.

Kia once touted the Finger Operated Optimum Lever (FOOL), a steering device for the Tinder generation that let you swipe left or right to steer the car, while Honda once claimed to be developing a vehicle fitted with ten selfie cams to capture your mug from every conceivable angle as you drove along.

Digital Trends has reached out to Volkswagen for confirmation of the reported name change and we will update this article if we hear back.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
This $3 USB adapter fixed all of my Apple CarPlay connection problems
iPhone with USB-C cable and USB-A adapter.

I bought a new Jeep last year and was obviously adamant that it had CarPlay. It was also the first car I owned with a touch screen for CarPlay, which is a nice change of pace. But in the first couple of weeks of driving, I was increasingly frustrated: even though I was using a wired USB connection, my CarPlay kept disconnecting. Sporadically, and frequently.

I tried different phones. I tried using an official Apple Lightning cable -- USB-A and USB-C, as my car has both -- as well as various styles and lengths of third-party cables. Nothing worked. And then, I found an inexplicable fix: using a simple USB-A to USB-C adapter, which is just $9 for a three-pack .

Read more
BMW i4 vs. Tesla Model 3: Which EV sedan is better?
2022 BMW i4 M50

The BMW i4 and Tesla Model 3 are two of the hottest electric cars on the market today. Both vehicles offer a range of features designed to make driving easy and efficient, as well as attractive styling. But each has its advantages and disadvantages, and there is much that sets them apart in terms of performance, technology, convenience, and cost.

Deciding between the two? That's why we've put together this guide. Here are the differences and similarities between the Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4, and why you might want one over the other.
Design

Read more
How much does an electric car battery cost?
electrify america evgo and chargepoint interoperability agreement for electric car charging station

Electric cars are often hailed as being cheaper to operate and repair than gas-powered cars. It makes sense — on the operation side, you only need to pay for electricity (not gasoline), and on the repair side, there’s no motor or transmission to deal with.

But electric cars have other costly repairs, and while in total they do generally cost less than repairs for gasoline cars, it’s worth knowing about the potential costs ahead of time. Perhaps the most obvious, and one of the most costly, has to do with an electric car’s battery. After all, while all cars have batteries, those in electric cars are far bigger and more advanced — and thus can cost quite a bit to replace.
How much does an electric car battery cost?

Read more