Hyperdrive
Volkswagen’s U.S. Name Change Was an April Fools’ Joke Gone Awry
- Name change was ‘interesting idea’ from marketing department
- Automaker faked change to ‘Voltswagen’ in publicity stunt
Volkswagen of America’s purported name change to “Voltswagen” was an April Fools’ joke gone bad.
On Monday, the automaker briefly posted, then removed, a draft press release on its website supposedly announcing it was changing its name to promote electric vehicles. VW then put out a media release Tuesday pledging to rebrand itself “Voltswagen” in the U.S. as “a public declaration of the company’s future-forward investment in e-mobility.”