Volkswagen appeared to make official on Tuesday that it would rebrand its U.S. operations to “Voltswagen of America,” but media outlets now are calling it an early April Fool’s Day joke.
On Tuesday morning, to mark the automaker’s commitment to electric vehicles, the company said it would rebrand to Voltswagen and include all exterior and interior signs at its VW properties and dealerships, apparently including its Chattanooga production plant.
But by Tuesday afternoon, various outlets were citing unnamed sources as saying the whole thing was a marketing stunt to draw attention to its EV plans. Sources told Reuters that the company on Wednesday is to announce that it’s not serious about changing its name.
On Monday, USA Today and other outlets cited an announcement on Volkswagen of America’s media site marking the name change. But the announcement was taken down from the site shortly thereafter and it was reported that it was mistakenly put up sooner than planned.
Earlier this month, the company launched its ID.4 electric SUV in the U.S. While the first units are made in Germany, the company is investing $800 million in a Chattanooga plant expansion to build the EVs in 2022.