Volkswagen apologized because the wrong name was created by the wrong name change and has decided to use the Voltswattsen name worldwide.
Initially there were rumors about the name change from Volkswagen to Voltwagen. Then VW officially confirmed the name change. The automaker later said it wouldn’t change its name. All of this happened before the April Fool’s Day so it was considered true by the automaker.
However, the lie wasn’t well received, especially since Volkswagen has been linked to some dangerous lies in the past (think Dieselgate). Here’s just a glimpse of the tweets that beat VW up for its deception:
* Volkswagen’s sense of humor has been vested with defeat.
– Brendan McAleer (@brendan_mcaleer) March 30, 2021
That sounds about as thin as Martin Winterkorn, who made a statement in September 2015 in which he said: “Oh, we didn’t mean it! It was just a Joke! SEE? WE ARE ALL LAUGHING !! HAHAHA!”
Not cool. And bad form. https://t.co/DOhpcgHFNf
– Larry P. Vellequette (@ LarryVellequett) March 30, 2021
Dear #brands, you have now officially lost your April Fool’s Day privileges.
Seriously, you had your chance. You screwed up It is finished.
– Tim Stevens (@Tim_Stevens) March 30, 2021
Dear Volkswagen: You lied to me. You lied to AP, CNBC, Reuters and various commercial bars. That was not a joke. It was a delusion. In case you haven’t noticed, we have a misinformation problem in this country. Now you are part of it. Why should someone trust you again? https://t.co/1rcKT7p0u5
– Nathan Bomey (@NathanBomey) March 30, 2021
Volkswagen PR’s idea of playing an April Fool’s joke is just “lying in March”, an unbelievable job
– mack (@MacklinHogan) March 30, 2021
It’s worth noting that @MikeWayland, @NathanBomey, @LarryVellequett, and the others who reported this are all honest, talented professionals.
Apparently, that can’t be said of some in VW PR. Shame on you. https://t.co/zc7lwlxbEs
– Michael Martinez (@MikeMartinez_AN) March 30, 2021
Volkswagen has been asked to either hold on to its commitment to electric cars by actually implementing the name change, or to be forever remembered for another lie where its filthy past surpasses its promised clean future.
VW replied and decided to up the ante. Voltwagen didn’t go far enough to prove VW’s commitment to electric vehicles, and so the automaker made its new name so clear that it’s impossible for VW and electric vehicles not to go hand in hand. The name? Voltwattsen. It has a certain German sound to it and clearly shows the brand dedicated to electric cars.
But it doesn’t stop there. Voltswattsen has decided that its ID lineup of electric cars deserves a name symbolic of their electricity. Therefore ID will become AMP and VW will rename the lineup. For example, ID.3 becomes AMP.3 and ID.4 becomes AMP.4.
VW says it will also upgrade all of its ID vehicles that are already in the buyer’s hands for free. However, this cannot be done via a wireless update (Tesla probably could), instead you will need to take your AMP.3 or AMP.4 to your local dealer for the new badging to be applied.
Last but not least, Voltswattsen teased its flagship electric car to demonstrate its commitment to an EV future. This vehicle, known as AMP.9, is similar to the rare VW XL1, but leaves the dirty diesel range extender behind in favor of a purely electric setup. It is believed to be the most aerodynamic and efficient car ever made.
To make up for the injustice, VW is offering all former VW diesel owners the AMP.9 free of charge. That’s right, hundreds of thousands of these vehicles are being handed over for free in a gesture VW calls DieselFreebies. After all, VW appears to have gone far enough to confirm its commitment to electric vehicles and to do what is right for its diesel failures.
