Yeah this reminds me of IHOP’s announcement that they were changing their name to IHOB, which obviously didn’t happen either but succeeded in drumming up media attention as intended.
2 Likes
Announced days before April Fool’s Day; published as fact by hundreds of reliable news sources; stock price jumped 5% on the news; retraction makes a mockery of environmental goals…
…scratches head…
1 Like
That classic German comedic timing of a joke that they are telling am I right my ladies and gentlemen?
During the whole Audi VW and whatever hell else is a part of it got busted for sneaking by clean air regulations with sneaky algorithms I just knew they’d be pushing hard to change their tune, even if it was hokey gimmicks like this. I think they’re converting a Greek island to a %100 renewable electric Atlantis. However try-hard it is… I’m still a sucker for advertising for them.
I wish I didn’t live in the US where every interesting/early car is a big ol’ SUV. I might have been able to swallow an electric bus, but I might have even preordered something like an electric golf.
1 Like
Hoot, line and sinter.
…is the new amphitheatre
But the e-Golf has been out for years?
Oh. Oh, I see…
It’s not April 1st anywhere in the world yet, It’s still 22:15 on March 31st in Kiribati as I type this.
I don’t want to be a killjoy, but there is no such thing as early April Fools jokes, they’re just lies.
2 Likes
They missed an opportunity to go with “MicroBuzz”.
1 Like
2 Likes
I love how this article is tagged “Diesel emissions scandal”. #neverforget
2 Likes
Seems to me like a very clever PR stunt. VW is now vastly outselling Tesla for electric cars in Europe, and is about to bring its ID range of electric cars to the US in a big way. By leaking the April Fools joke early, they got massive coverage, just as they’re rolling out adverts for the new electric cars.
(I will admit, I’m strongly considering buying the ID.4 when they bring it to Canada)
And yet, it’ll still probably use fossil fuels and defeat devices to cheat at the eMPG ratings and emissions tests
Sorry, but this seems to say that Volkswagen is changing their name to Voltswagen, but isn’t and will retain the name Volkswagen?
Sigh. Cue the standard “we spent millions on re-branding!” followed 6 months later by “we’re spending millions to go back”
Given all the other car manufacturers now quietly settling massive fines and other claims for the same thing, VW really has got the whole first mover disadvantage down…
Is there a major car manufacturer who hasn’t yet been caught fiddling their emissions levels?
2 Likes
Nope. As many here and elsewhere accurately predicted this was a fake announcement designed to drum up publicity and Volkswagen never had any actual intent to rebrand itself.
I wonder if it really was intended to be an April 1st gag – which I find obnoxious but seems to have become di rigueur with social media marketing idiocy here in the 21st.
Could have slipped a couple days early, or maybe popping off early was the plan all along to get ahead of the bajillion other April 1st online marketing gags…
And so the VW PR team amps up the tension.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
