(This story has been updated to reflect official confirmation of the VW brand name change.)
Volkswagen today confirmed plans to change the name of its U.S. brand to “Voltswagen,” a move meant to underscore its massive shift to battery-electric vehicles.
Worldwide, the automaker will spend more than $80 billion to bring at least 50 battery-electric vehicles to market by mid-decade. It’s first long-range BEV, the ID.3 hatchback, launched in Europe last year. The ID.4 SUV, the first model to target the U.S., began rolling into showrooms this past month.
“The idea of a ‘people’s car’ is the very fabric of our being,” said Scott Keogh, president and CEO of Voltswagen of America, referring to the German translation of Volkswagen. “We have said, from the beginning of our shift to an electric future, that we will build EVs for the millions, not just millionaires. This name change signifies a nod to our past as the peoples’ car and our firm belief that our future is in being the peoples’ electric car.”
Leak forces VW’s hand

The name change originally was to be revealed on April 29 but an internal document leaked out early, a senior VW source told TheDetroitBureau.com. The document described the move as “a public declaration of the company’s future-forward investment in e-mobility.”
On Tuesday morning, VW rushed out official confirmation of the plan, though it left some questions unanswered.
Though the U.S. arm of the huge Volkswagen Group is rebranding itself some observers are questioning whether this will be a permanent move. It’s not entirely uncommon for companies to tinker with their names and logos as part of a marketing campaign. The pancake-centric IHOP briefly changed to IHOB several years ago to suggest that it offered a broader breakfast menu.
The name change will not impact VW’s headquarters or, at least for now, operations outside of North America.
Taking on Tesla

The name change is meant to back up the automaker’s attempt to position itself as the world’s leading producer of battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs. Herbert Diess, the CEO of the Volkswagen Group put a target on the back of the auto industry’s current EV leader, Tesla, last year saying he is confident the German giant can “overtake” its American rival before the end of this decade.
A study released by research firm UBS forecast VW could topple its rival as early as 2022. VW is already outselling Tesla in its home market and other parts of Europe. But it lags well behind in the U.S. and China.
“UBS expects that Volkswagen will be a joint world market leader for pure electric vehicles as early as 2022 — with the potential to win market share,” the firm’s study concluded.
New name, new logo

Volkswagen only recently introduced its first long-range BEV, the ID.4 SUV, for the States. But it has plenty more coming. That includes a modern take on the classic Volkswagen Microbus that, in concept form, has been dubbed the ID.Buzz.
At launch, the ID.4 is being imported from Germany but production will shift next year to the VW assembly plant in Chattanooga. The factory is undergoing a $1 billion expansion and will add at least one more all-electric model, Keogh confirmed last year. Details have not yet been revealed. The ID.4 and other all-electric products will be assembled at the automaker’s huge Mexican factory complex.
Along with the name change, VW also plans to adopt a unique version of its logo for all-electric models. They will use a light blue background, conventionally powered models sticking with a dark blue background.
The automaker gave the basic logo a makeover in 2019, opting for a less three-dimensional look that, notably, was first used on the new ID.3. That model, which debuted last year, is VW’s first global long-range BEV.
Getting the message out

Volkswagen has had a rocky history in the U.S. market. The company became the nation’s largest import brand during the heyday of the original Beetle. But sales collapsed as Japanese competitors like Toyota, Nissan and Honda gained traction in the 1980s.
Sales are now on the rebound, buoyed by an expanding line-up of SUVs, including the Tiguan and Atlas. The carmaker decided not to bring the ID.3 hatchback to the U.S., meanwhile, betting the SUV-styled ID.4 would better fit with market trends.
While the shift in name to Voltswagen might seem a gimmick, it will fit in with a broader marketing campaign.
“The tone of Voltswagen will be a consistent thread between the branded communications for our growing electric fleet to our gas vehicles,” said Kimberley Gardiner, senior vice president, Voltswagen of America brand marketing. “Over the course of the next few months, you will see the brand transition at all consumer touch points. This is an exciting moment for us, and we have been working through every avenue to make the transition clear, consistent, seamless and fun for all.”

VW isn’t alone
VW won’t ’t be the only manufacturer to tweak its brand identity to mark the emergence of the electric vehicle — nor the first. Mercedes-Benz adopted the Mercedes-EQ badge for its BEVs. Hyundai, meanwhile, is launching an entirely new sub-brand called Ioniq for its electric vehicles.
Such moves help differentiate all-electric products from those using conventional internal combustion engines. They also position automakers as leaders, rather than followers, marketing experts suggest.
That said, they will face numerous challenges, among other things convincing American buyers of the benefits of going electric. They also have to take on the BEV segment leader, Tesla. But sales trends in the U.S. and Europe suggest that may be possible as demand grows and more alternative products reach market.
Nice Product
i dont understand how voltswagon can still be in business tried to trade my jetta for the taos the dealers played all sort of games first the taos i wanted was stickered at 28,000 the dealer wants to charger me 39,000 and thats with a jetta i owe 8,000 on . as trade 3500 is what they were gonna give on the trade that should have taken the price of the taos to 32,500 plus tx tag about 1600 bucks making the taos i was looking at around 35,000 tried the over chargeing ,, then my credit is 620 i told the dealer this he then comes back and tells me its a 640 but then me and my best friend are buying this car together like we are buying our jetta and they have a 610 credit score and we have been paying for our jetta for 3 1/2 yrs. never missed a payment ,but yet as big as VW is they could find no financing for 2 guys with fair credit who combined salary is 90,000yr with a trade if there is anyone at VW that can help us get this TAOS SE /SUNROOF i REALLY LIKE THE TAOS if someone can help pls contact me thx
Sadly, John, what you ran into is the sort of bad behavior automakers have tried to move away from. Some dealers still play those games, especially at a time when there’s a real shortage of vehicles due to the shortage of semiconductor chips. The Taos, meanwhile, is new, and dealers are only beginning to take deliveries — when they can get them. I’d suggest several things: 1) check out a different dealer; 2) Wait a few months, hoping dealers will get more in stock and will be more willing to come in around sticker price. You can always try to reach out to the factory through the factory website but they have limited control over dealers due to state franchise laws.
Good luck…and please follow up if you’re able to do better.
Paul A. Eisenstein
Publisher, TheDetroitBureau.com
Hey Volkswagen how about donating on of you new vans to the Ghetto in East Oakland California and the poor folks can share the joy
of access to such a fine piece of tech.