A few years ago the Volkswagen Group was saying it would become a major player in the electric vehicle (EV) market. At the time their offerings were lackluster (the first generation EV Golf) so it was easy to think that was all bluster, and no substance. But then Dieselgate happened, and the Volkswagen Group was forced by regulators towards electric vehicles. And now the company has several interesting vehicles available or in the pipeline. Yesterday there was news that Volkswagen USA had accidentally revealed a press release, quickly retracted, saying the company was changing its name to Voltswagen. Today, Volkswagen USA officially issued version 2 of that press release, making it clear this was not a hoax. We are nearing April 1st, after all.
Volts are the derived units for electric potential between two points.
Volks, uh, according to Google Translate, “volk” means “people”, which fits with the origin story of Volkswagen that Adolf Hitler wanted a Peoples Car.
As the press release says, Volkswagen of America changing to Voltswagen of America is a change of just one letter, but it’s symptomatic of a large scale change of thinking.
“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 Voltswagen of America. “The idea of a ‘people’s car’ is the very fabric of our being. 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.”
Volkswagen of America is truly changing its name to Voltswagen of America. There is an official press release, with a March 30 date (not April 1), and verification on the VW.com website. That means we’ll all have to retrain our fingers to type Voltswagen from here on out.
Source: VW.com home page
Pretty much everywhere they could say Volkswagen, it now says Voltswagen. But the old name is still there in a bunch of places, so there might be some scrambling going on to find and change every reference to Volkswagen.
The press release specifically calls out the VW ID.4, which is to be released this month. Let’s take a quick look.
The ID.4 is a 250+ mile range electric car, big enough to be called an SUV. They claim a 60 minute charging time on Electrify America chargers, and the car includes 3 years of free charging on that infrastructure.
Availability starts in the summer of 2021 for the regular edition. There was a premium First Edition available for a higher price that will start deliveries in Q1 2021. The regular edition has an MSRP starting at $39,995.
VW explicitly calls out comparisons to the Tesla Model Y, describing it as a “cold” car, which the Voltswagen ID.4 is not (according to VW). What may stand out even more is the price undercuts the Model Y significantly.
There is an all-wheel-drive option for $3680. There are additional options like a panoramic glass roof, easy-lift tailgate, bigger wheels, etc. In other words it’s possible to spend $50,000 on an ID.4, but the base model is very good.
I keep hoping that VW will bring back the Karmann Ghia as an electric car
. Maybe someday. But, having owned and driven an electric Karmann Ghia, I have to say that the gymnastics required to get in an out of the car got to be old. An SUV is more suiting to my body frame.
Voltswagen: A new name for a new era of e-Mobility
- U.S. name change from Volkswagen of America to Voltswagen of America begins
May 2021 - Rebranding to include revised name, brand guidelines and VW.com design
Herndon, VA, March 30, 2021 – V.2 —Today, Volkswagen Group of America, is unveiling the official change of its U.S. brand name from Volkswagen of America to Voltswagen of America.
More than a name change, “Voltswagen” is a public declaration of the company’s future-forward investment in e-mobility. By definition, Volts are the derived units for electric potential between two points. The new name and branding symbolize the highly-charged forward momentum Voltswagen has put in motion, pursuing a goal of moving all people point-to-point with EVs.
“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 Voltswagen of America. “The idea of a ‘people’s car’ is the very fabric of our being. 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.”
This month, the company welcomes the arrival of ID.4, its first long-range all-electric, zero direct emission SUV, in dealerships across America. As well as being designed to compete with mainstream compact SUVs, the ID.4 is the first product to be sold nationwide that confirms the company’s commitment to sustainable mobility.
That’s been the mission since the larger Volkswagen Group became the first major automaker to support the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, with an added target of a 30 percent reduction in the company’s carbon footprint by 2025, and net-carbon neutrality by 2050. A resulting commitment to sell one million EVs worldwide by 2025 will see more than 70 electric models launched across the VW group brands by 2029.
With the introduction of the “Drive Bigger” brand platform in 2019, Volkswagen of America, as it was then, communicated a long-term vision of striving for a higher purpose, challenging us all to move beyond self-interest and to consider being part of something bigger. The company further signaled its intentions by becoming one of five brands that signed up in 2019 to California’s proposed fuel economy regulations, which aim to impose stricter CO2 standards in an effort to help combat climate change.
Voltswagen means thinking big, acting boldly and leading progress.
In 1955 Volkswagen of America was founded, and from the beginning the company dared to be different from other automakers. VW first won the love of the American public with the Type 1 Beetle, which eventually overtook the Ford Model T as the world’s best-selling car, with more than 23 million sold. By establishing a storied legacy of breaking from convention and emphasizing a true driver-vehicle connection, Volkswagen of America in its time has become synonymous with humility, wit and humor, while the actual namesake translates to “the people’s car.”
“As our newly launched ID.4 campaign demonstrates, the humanity at the core of this brand remains its enduring legacy,” said Kimberley Gardiner, senior vice president, Voltswagen of America brand marketing. “The tone of Voltswagen will be a consistent thread between the branded communications for our growing electric fleet to our gas vehicles. 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.”
The company will preserve elements of Volkswagen’s heritage by retaining its iconic VW Dark Blue color for gas-powered vehicles and Light Blue to differentiate the new, EV-centric branding. Starting today, new branding will roll out across all of the company’s advertising, website and social media channels. Moving forward, “Voltswagen” will be placed as an exterior badge on all EV models with gas vehicles sporting the VW emblem only. Exterior and interior signage will soon roll out to all Voltswagen properties and dealerships across the US.
About Voltswagen
Founded in 1955, Voltswagen of America, formerly Volkswagen of America, Inc., is an operating unit of Volkswagen Group of America and a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, with headquarters in Herndon, Virginia. Voltswagen’s operations in the United States include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Volkswagen Group is one of the world’s largest producers of passenger cars and Europe’s largest automaker. Voltswagen sells the Arteon, Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, Golf, Golf GTI, ID.4 Electric SUV, Jetta, Jetta GLI, Passat, and Tiguan vehicles through more than 600 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Voltswagen online at www.vw.com or media.vw.com to learn more.
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