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Volkswagen is changing its name to "Voltswagen" in the US

A little early for an April Fool’s joke? But it’s no joke.

Earl Lee on Mar 30, 2021

While Volkswagen in the Philippines remains steadfast to live up to the literal translation of its brand name—the People’s Car. VW in America is in a bit of a pickle following the accidental announcement on its press site on Monday, March 29, 2021. Since then, the press release was taken down which stated that the brand will be changing its name to Voltswagen.

This isn’t a pun, however. We know that automakers have a knack for publishing April Fool’s jokes all the time, but this is a bit different.

Related: Volkswagen T-Cross: Specs We Want to See

According to Road and Track magazine, the media outlet was able to confirm with a senior employee at Volkswagen of America that the post was erroneously published ahead of schedule, and that there are legitimate plans of Volkswagen rebranding in the US.

The press release stated that the name change and rebranding were to happen in May.

VW currently has the ID.3 and ID.4 EVs in the global lineup, with the ID.3 being closer in size to the Volkswagen Lavida that we have in the Philippines, and the ID.4, being closer to the Tiguan. Only the ID.4 is being sold in the States, and all models are currently sold in Europe. There is a noticeable push towards EVs from one of the biggest brands in the world, but could a name change help propel their EVs to greater heights?

Other evidence to support the change is the major investments Volkswagen has made to produce batteries, but the bigger question is will the rebrand make it to other markets as well?

Also, according to the press release, the Voltswagen brand will coexist with the Volkswagen brand. The logo will be lighter blue than the original logo. Gasoline-powered cars will continue to have the dark blue badge that we’re accustomed to, but EVs will sport the Voltswagen brand name as an exterior badge on all EV models.

The Philippines has a long way to go before EVs become mainstream. Volkswagen has recently announced that it will be launching the T-Cross in 2021, which means that the company could be getting an all-new model in the coming months. However, should a Volkswagen—sorry Voltswagen—EV make its way onto Philippine soil, it could carry the new brand and badge. Still though, who doesn’t love a good pun? Not VW.