VW doesn’t change its name Voltzwagen, the April Fool’s joke has gone wrong

Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi / Bloomberg

Volkswagen of America’s alleged name change to “Voltswagen” was an April Fool’s joke gone bad.

The automaker briefly posted and then deleted a draft press release on its brand website on Monday, sparking media speculation that the company was changing its name to promote electric vehicles. VW released on announcement in its entirety Tuesday, promising to rename “Voltswagen” in the United States, “a public statement of the company’s future investment in electric mobility.”

Later Tuesday, the company confessed.

“The name change was designed to be an April Fools’ Day announcement,” VW said in a statement after removing the release from its US news site. “We will be providing additional updates on this shortly.” Earlier, a VW spokesperson at the German automaker’s headquarters in Wolfsburg called it an “interesting idea” from the marketing department.

Volkswagen may have gone too far in its efforts to create the buzz for VW’s electrification push and the ID.4 electric crossover, which is hitting U.S. showrooms. CEO Herbert Diess has taken on a more colorful role on Twitter and professed his admiration for Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk, all as part of an effort to make VW an electric pioneer and move away the Dieselgate scandal company.

Not funny

These stakes are too high to joke, said Tom Morton, chief strategy officer for the United States at advertising firm R / GA in New York City.

“This is the auto industry’s most pressing challenge: ‘Can you go electric? Said Morton. “Choosing to joke about it undermines their engagement.”