Volkswagen will change the identify of its North American unit from “Volkswagen of America” to “Voltswagen in America,” CNBC reported Monday.
It could appear to be a typo, however VW by accident posted an incomplete press launch asserting the identify change to its web site early Monday morning, in response to CNBC. The discharge was dated April 29 and has since been taken down, the report stated. A VW supply acquainted with the scenario confirmed to Motor Authority that the knowledge was leaked too early.
Whereas the timing of the press launch additionally suggests a untimely April Idiot’s Day joke, CNBC reported that the identify change is supposed to emphasise VW’s shift towards electrical autos.
2021 Volkswagen ID.4
The discharge, which was incomplete, citing the necessity for an extra quote and images, additionally mentioned new badging for VW autos, in response to CNBC. Electrical automobiles will get a “Voltswagen” exterior badge, whereas gasoline fashions could have the present VW badge (which was recently redesigned itself) solely. The badge will proceed to have a darkish blue badge for gasoline fashions, and a lighter blue for EVs, the report stated.
VW’s United States EV push just lately kicked off with the ID.4 crossover, one in all a number of deliberate international fashions based mostly on the automaker’s MEB platform. As an alternative of concentrating on different electrical automobiles, VW claims to the ID.4 will compete with mainstream gasoline crossovers just like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. The primary U.S.-market autos will likely be imported from Germany, however VW plans to start out native manufacturing at its Chattanooga, Tennessee, manufacturing facility in 2022.
That is half of a bigger plan to construct 28 million EVs by 2028, encompassing 70 distinct fashions throughout VW’s many international manufacturers. Along with inexpensive MEB-based fashions, the lineup already consists of luxurious fashions just like the Audi E-Tron GT and Porsche Taycan, with a Bentley EV on the way. By the top of the last decade, VW plans to have a standardized platform for many electrical fashions, and solid-state batteries that the corporate believes will enable higher vary and faster charging.