Volkswagen apologises for April Fool's Day stunt

A customer in a Volkswagen ID.4 electric sport utility vehicle at the carmaker's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. The company's April Fool's Day stunt has backfired, upsetting some people.
A customer in a Volkswagen ID.4 electric sport utility vehicle at the carmaker's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. The company's April Fool's Day stunt has backfired, upsetting some people. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

WASHINGTON • Volkswagen's US unit has apologised after a false statement it issued about a name change was widely slammed on social media.

The company acknowledged that the false announcement on Wednesday claiming it would rename its US operations as "Voltswagen of America" had "upset some people and we are sorry about any confusion".

The stunt, which came just ahead of April Fool's Day on the first of the month, when companies often release prank statements, was meant to call attention to its electric vehicle efforts, the carmaker said.

The statement was criticised on social media, with some commentators recalling the firm's diesel-emissions scandal and years of misleading customers and regulators.

Automotive News, in a blog post titled "VW lied to sell diesels; now it lied to sell EVs" said the carmaker "still seems to think lying to the public is an acceptable corporate strategy".

The initial statement outlining the name change, posted on its website and accompanied by tweets, was reported by Reuters and other outlets globally and included a detailed description of its purported rebranding efforts and new logos. The company pulled it out late on Tuesday.

"The renaming was designed to be an announcement in the spirit of April Fool's Day, highlighting the launch of the all-electric ID.4 SUV and signalling our commitment to bringing electric mobility to all," its United States spokesman said. Its spokesman in Germany called the rebranding a "nice idea" with a focus on marketing.

The incident marks the latest communication hiccup at the group, which made headlines last year when it apologised for an advertisement posted on its Instagram page for its Golf cars that it admitted was racist and insulting.

Volkswagen, the world's second-largest carmaker, expects to double electric vehicle deliveries and boost profits for its core brand this year after stepping up its switch to fully electric vehicles in a bid to catch up with Tesla.

Some Volkswagen officials have expressed frustration that its significant US EV efforts have not drawn as much attention as Tesla or General Motors. The Volkswagen brand aims to invest €16 billion (S$25.3 billion) in electrification and digitisation by 2025.

Volkswagen in 2015 admitted to using illegal software to rig diesel engine tests in the US, and it cost the carmaker more than €32 billion in fines, refits and legal costs.

In 2017, the company pleaded guilty to fraud, obstruction of justice and making false statements as part of a US$4.3 billion (S$5.8 billion) settlement over the scandal.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 02, 2021, with the headline Volkswagen apologises for April Fool's Day stunt. Subscribe