• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Get the Latest about New Cars, EVs and More with the Headlight News Podcast
  • Order Up! Tesla Opens Order Books for the Tesla Semi
  • Detroit Automakers Reinstating Mask Mandates as COVID Surges
  • BMW Offers Up Official “Spy Shots” of Plug-In XM SUV
  • Court-Appointed Monitor Sets Schedule for UAW Elections
  • The Rearview Mirror: The Car That Begat Automotive Safety Laws
  • Mercedes Issues “Do Not Drive” Recall for 292K Vehicles
  • Targeting Tesla, VW CEO Says EVs are More Profitable Than First Forecast
  • Toyota Cuts Profit Guidance as Costs Continue to Rise
  • Honda Adds a Sport Trim to Odyssey Line for New Model Year
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • First Drive: 2022 Mercedes-Benz C 300
    • First Impression: 2023 Nissan Z
    • A Week With: 2022 Lexus LC 500 Convertible
    • A Week With: 2022 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Crew Cab
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
    • First Drive(s): 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate and AT4X
    • A Week With: 2022 BMW i4 M50
    • A Week With: 2022 Mazda CX-5
    • First Drive: 2023 Kia Sportage
    • First Drive: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automakers > Update: VW Plugs in a New Name: “Voltswagen”

        Update: VW Plugs in a New Name: “Voltswagen”

        Twist on familiar name to celebrate its $80B electric-vehicle program.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        March 30, 2021

        Voltswagen(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

        VW CEO Herbert Diess
        VW CEO Herbert Diess says this will be a tough year for the automaker, though there are signs the Chinese market is coming back to life.

        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

        2021 VW ID.4 front driving
        The new ID.4 is Volkswagen’s first all-electric model for the U.S.

        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

        2021 Tesla Model Y blue
        Diess put a target on Tesla claiming it will catch the EV king before the end of the decade.

        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 ID.Buzz Concept
        A concept version of the ID.Buzz concept revealed plans to bring back the classic VW Microbus in all-electric form.

        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.”

        Mercedes EQS with Thomas Kuppers
        Mercedes is another automaker opting for a distinctive brand name, Mercedes-EQ, for its all-electric models.

        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.

        Recently Published
        Podcasts
        Headlight News Podcast Microphone

        Get the Latest about New Cars, EVs and More with the Headlight News Podcast

        Yesterday

        Order Up! Tesla Opens Order Books for the Tesla Semi

        Yesterday
        An employee in the body shop at Stellantis’ Detroit Assembly Complex – Mack plant inspects the body of a Jeep® Grand Cherokee L to ensure it is within specification before it goes to the paint shop. The Company invested $1.6 billion to repurpose two existing facilities and build a paint shop to create the first new assembly plant in Detroit in 30 years and bring 3,850 new jobs to the city.

        Detroit Automakers Reinstating Mask Mandates as COVID Surges

        Yesterday

        4 responses to “Update: VW Plugs in a New Name: “Voltswagen””

        1. Phillips Adam says:
          March 31, 2021 at 6:16 am

          Nice Product

          Reply
        2. John Randolph jr says:
          June 22, 2021 at 11:38 pm

          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

          Reply
          1. Paul A. Eisenstein says:
            June 23, 2021 at 10:30 am

            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

            Reply
        3. robert burlin says:
          March 9, 2022 at 4:03 pm

          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.

          Reply

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2022
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: