Volkswagen blunder: Automaker accidentally leaked its new U.S. business name

Volkswagen is said to have plans of changing its name for the company’s business operation in the U.S. Since it will be focusing on the production of electric vehicles, it was reported that the company will be calling its US-based business “Voltswagen of America.”

The name change blunder

Apparently, the name was made to emphasize Volkswagen’s efforts at focusing on EVs, which other carmakers are also transitioning into. CNBC reported that on Monday, March 29, Volkswagen posted a press release on its own website, and it was for the announcement of its new name for its operations in America.

The release stated that the new mane is Voltswagen of America, and the term “Voltswagen” will be used in all of the company’s electric vehicle models. It will serve as the main exterior badge for the EVs. On the other hand, the gas-powered models will continue to bear the iconic VW emblem.

It was then revealed that the press release announcing the new name was a mistake. It was not supposed to be posted today, but it should be a release for April 29. This means the announcement came a month early, so it was taken down as soon as the company realized the mistake.

There are people who started to think that the leak about Volkswagen’s new name could be deliberately done as a joke, but a source who knows the situation confirmed to CNBC that the leaked press release was authentic. The tipster could not be named since the information is not meant for the public.

Is Volkswagen really changing its name in the U.S.?

Moreover, some say it could be Volkswagen’s stunt for April Fools' Day on April 1, which means it could be a fake press release. It was also noted that this trick was already used in the past by companies like IHOP. in 2018, it announced that it would be changing its name to IHOb, and it turned out that it was all for the promotion of its Ultimate Steakburgers.

As per CNN Business, it was not able to confirm if the plans for Volkswagen’s name change is real, but with its own investigation, the outlet stated that “Voltswagen” is not in the list on Monday when it searched for the name under the trademark applications in the US Patent and Trademark Office.

CNN noted that this does not prove that VW's plan is not true, but it could simply be a delay in the application. It was pointed out that a “Voltswagen” Twitter account already exists and is being used by Volkswagen UK but inactive for months now. The publication concludes that Volkswagen’s plan is tentative at this point, and it could decide to change or not change its name any time, and this would be announced once finalized.