American VW boss takes responsibility for ‘Voltswagen’ prank



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The managing director of the U.S. subsidiary of Volkswagen AG said on Thursday that he took personal responsibility for an April Fool’s Day prank this week in which the company sent a press release saying it was changing its U.S. name in “Voltswagen”.

“Never in our wildest dreams have we imagined it taking hold,” Scott Keogh, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “If there is any confidence or credibility to be rebuilt on my part, I will do it.”

The German automaker later admitted that the name change was a joke and a marketing stunt, but it was only after many news outlets flagged it as a legitimate development and social media broke down. enlightened with comments on the move.

The gag order began on Monday when VW Communications in the United States posted a draft statement on the company’s website and quickly withdrew it.

The press release, initially picked up by several media outlets, indicated that the company would rename itself “Voltswagen of America” ​​to promote its electric car strategy. The bogus press release also quoted Mr. Keogh: “We may be in the process of replacing our K with a T, but what we’re not changing is this brand’s commitment to making the best vehicles in the world. its class for drivers and people around the world. ”

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