BUSINESS NEWS
A day after Volkswagen said it was changing its name to ‘Voltswagen,’ company now calls it a joke
Climate change and EVs: How will future cars stem global warming?Electric vehicles have become a hot trend. But how much better are they for the environment than standard gas or diesel-powered cars?Just the FAQs, USA TODAYAbout that plan to change Volkswagen of America’s name. Never mind.The automaker’s plan to change its American division’s name to “Voltswagen,” as part of its investment in electric vehicles was all a joke.Volkswagen of America “will not be changing its name to Voltswagen,” Mike Tolbert, a spokesperson for the company, said in a statement sent to USA TODAY. “The renaming was designed to be an announcement in the spirit of April Fools’ Day, highlighting the launch of the all-electric ID.4 SUV and signaling our commitment to bringing electric mobility to all.”Earlier in the day, Volkswagen officials at the company’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, told The Wall Street Journal that a press release about the name change was a joke aimed at getting attention for its all-electric SUV the ID.4, which has just gone on sale.“It’s a premature April Fools’ joke. It’s part of a marketing campaign for the ID.4,” the Journal reported a person at Volkswagen HQ saying. “There will be no name change.”Stimulus checks: On the way for some Social Security recipients and other federal beneficiaries, IRS saysNational Burrito Day 2021: Chipotle to give away free burritos and $100,000 in Bitcoin ThursdayAn announcement about the name change appeared briefly on the German automaker’s media site Monday before it was removed. That was not the result of the site being hacked, or as part of a joke, a person familiar with the company’s plans told USA TODAY Monday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.An email announcing the name change also went out Tuesday morning to media. It contained a link to a full press release. “We might be changing out our K for a T, but what we aren’t changing is this brand’s commitment to making best-in-class vehicles for drivers and people everywhere,” said Scott Keogh, president and CEO of Volkswagen of America in the release.Other major news outlets in addition to USA TODAY reported the purported name change including CNBC, The Associated Press and Reuters. Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.
Source link