Update Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at 7:00pm EST: It was a marketing ploy after all. Despite dropping a press release this morning supposedly confirming the name change of its U.S. operations to “Voltswagen of America”, multiple outlets are reporting that VW lied to us. The German carmaker has since deleted the release on its North American press site without any notice or explanation. 

“It was a marketing stunt aimed at drawing attention to the company’s electric vehicle plans” three sources told Reuters, while a spokesman for the company in Germany told the The Wall Street Journal  that it was a joke: “We didn’t mean to mislead anyone. The whole thing is just a marketing action to get people talking about the ID.4.” As Nelson would say, Ha-Ha.

The problem though, noted the WSJ, is that “everyone took it seriously, creating confusion about the company’s intentions and moving the shares, putting VW’s communications team on the defensive”. We’ll point out here that most outlets were suspicious about the news to begin with, as April 1st was just around the corner, yet when specifically asked about that, VW led us to believe it was real.

https://twitter.com/VW/status/1376868756782219266

 – An edited version of the original story follows below

On Monday, we reported that Volkswagen of America would be undergoing a name change, the news on which came from an incomplete press release dated April 29, mistakenly published early on the company’s website. On Tuesday, the German automaker came out with an official release announcing that their new name in the United States will be “Voltswagen of America”.

The name change would supposedly go into effect beginning in May, and the rebranding of the company’s  advertising, websites, and social media channels would take place immediately. To differentiate between gas-powered and electric vehicles, the automaker wrote that it planned to retain the dark blue in their logo for the former, and introduce a new light blue for the latter.

Read More: VW Kicks Off U.S. Ad Campaign For The ID.4, Promises It Will Change Your World

Furthermore, it said that “Voltswagen” would now be placed as an exterior badge on all of the company’s electric vehicles, while the gas vehicles would simply feature the VW emblem. Exterior and interior signage would be introduced to all Voltswagen properties and dealerships in the United States.

“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.”