--- title: "Volkswagen Says It Lied to Reporters About Name Change" description: "Volkswagen of America lied to a number of reporters this week about rebranding its North American division to \"Voltswagen.\"" date: "2021-03-31" modified: "2021-03-31" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/volkswagen-lied-reporters-name-change" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "electric vehicles" - "volkswagen" --- # Volkswagen Says It Lied to Reporters About Name Change ![Volkswagen of America lied to a number of reporters this week about rebranding its North American division to "Voltswagen."]() *\Image: Futurism\* Volkswagen of America now admits that it lied to a number of reporters this week about [rebranding its North American division to "Voltswagen,"]() a nod to its dedication to electric vehicles. It's a confusing mess of a story, so here's what happened. VW communications teams intentionally leaked a draft about the rebranding earlier this week, as [*The Wall Street Journal*]() reports. The media quickly picked up on the news and covered it. Journalists were astonished when Volkswagen [later confirmed]() the rebranding, specifically noting that it wasn't in fact an April Fools' joke. Digging its own hole even further, Volkswagen (or "Voltswagen?") of America dropped a press release — which has since been taken down — in which CEO Scott Keogh noted that the "name change signifies a nod to our past as the peoples’ car and our firm belief that our future is in being the peoples’ electric car." Even Wall Street was [ready to change up the name]() for the company. But on Wednesday, the automaker had to make yet another U-turn, telling [*Reuters*]() and the [*WSJ* ]()that it *was* in fact an early April Fools' joke. "We didn’t mean to mislead anyone," a VW spokesman told the *WSJ.* "The whole thing is just a marketing action to get people talking about the ID.4." Talk about mixed messaging. It's not even April 1, and big name brands are already having to dig themselves out of a PR nightmare. Is the carmaker able to turn this around again? Maybe they did actually adopt the moniker "Voltswagen" after all? Happy April Fools' Day, I guess. **READ MORE:** [No, Volkswagen Isn’t Rebranding Itself Voltswagen]() \[*The Wall Street Journal*\] **More on the saga:** *[VW's New “Voltswagen” Name Not an April Fool's Joke]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()