Volkswagen Will (Update: NOT) Name Its EV Models ‘Voltswagen’ Moving Forward

UPDATE: This was a hoax after all - check out the updated post

Meet the ‘Voltswagen’ ID.4? That may be happening soon. (Photos: Volkswagen)

Update: This was indeed an April Fools’ joke.

We wanted to keep our original story up, but this is a warning that most of its content is out-of-date. This was a ruse, and you can find out more about that over here.

Volkswagen of America briefly posted an interesting press release Monday released an interesting statement Tuesday. March 30 update: VW’s press release is back, but with the timing…we’re still sitting in “April Fools'” territory. In it, the company claimed it is changing its name, at least for its EVs, to ‘Voltswagen’. Ah, yes we see what you did there. Now, that time of year is right around the corner, and some automakers like to play various goofs on the public at-large. This seems like one of them, though Automotive News among others “independently confirmed the authenticity” of the leaked release, citing unnamed sources familiar with the company’s plans.

The release, per CNBC, was dated for April 29, 2021. Update: VW may have just leaned into this after the report broke, as the updated release is dated March 30, 2021. As the company continues its EV charge — particularly by marketing the ID.4 through every conceivable media — it said in the release the name change is “a public declaration of the company’s future-forward investment in e-mobility.” Knowing VW’s recent history with Dieselgate, that’s a plausible explanation. Models powered by internal combustion (gasoline) engines, while they’re still around, will simply display the standard VW badge. ‘Voltswagen’ EVs, on the other hand, will get that logo on a light blue background. Again, in a similar vein to Toyota, that sounds like a plausible change.

But the Voltswagen name? Car and Driver points out, via Sebastian Blanco, that this isn’t the first time VW’s toyed with the idea. It’s clever, but it’s still a possibility — and a likely one at that — that everyone’s in on the joke. Most folks seem to agree because, well, duh. Those who weren’t quite sure said they still liked the name, so we may see VW test the waters in a marketing campaign, if nothing else. After all, they say the Volkswagen ID.4 has to change your world before EVs can change the world.

If it is indeed an April Fools’ Day joke, well played Volkswagen. The company is fairly serious about taking on the established EV players, though, and we checked out their latest effort in the video below: