VW may rebrand its US arm as 'Voltswagen' amid shift to electric vehicles
Volkswagen
- Volkswagen may rebrand to Voltswagen in the US, CNBC reported Monday.
- VW accidentally posted a press release announcing the change, the outlet said.
- A VW spokesperson declined to comment.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Volkswagen may be changing more than its cars' energy source as it moves aggressively into the electric-vehicle space.
The German brand plans to change its name in the US to "Voltswagen," CNBC reported Monday, citing a press release that was accidentally posted to the brand's website a month early.
In the now-deleted release, the brand - a subsidiary of Germany's Volkswagen Group - announced it would rename its US operations "Voltswagen of America," CNBC said. All of the brand's battery-powered vehicles will have exterior "Voltswagen" badging, while its gas-powered cars would retain the traditional VW emblem, according to the release.
A person familiar with the plans told CNBC the release was legitimate. A spokesperson for Volkswagen declined to comment.
In the erroneously posted announcement, Volkswagen said the name change represented a "public declaration of the company's future-forward investment in e-mobility," according to CNBC.
"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," VW of America CEO Scott Keogh said in the release, per USA Today, which also viewed the draft release before it was taken down.
Volkswagen began delivering its first EV for the US market, the ID.4, in March. During a presentation in March, the Volkswagen Group laid out a wide-ranging strategy to overtake Tesla in the EV space. The plans included six European battery-production plants, new battery technology, and investments in charging infrastructure.
In January, General Motors unveiled a new logo amid its own accelerated electrification push.