VW plans brand-name change to 'Voltswagen' in US

Volkswagen plans to change its brand name in the United States to “Voltswagen” as its shifts its production increasingly toward electric vehicles and tries to distance itself from an emissions cheating scandal.

A person briefed on the plan said a formal announcement was planned for later yesterday.

The company had briefly posted a press release on its website on Monday announcing the brand name change. It was noticed by a reporter from USA Today before it was removed.

The premature release comes as VW is taking reservations for the new ID.4 small electric SUV, the company’s only new electric model sold in the US.

Even with the ID.4 fully on sale, only a small fraction of VWs on US roads will bear the “Voltswagen” name. The vast majority of VW’s vehicle sales in the US will still be powered by gasoline for the foreseeable future and will continue to be labeled simply as “VW.” The German automaker sold just under 326,000 VW-branded vehicles in the US last year.

The person who was briefed on the plan said the name Volkswagen Group of America, which also includes the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini brands, won’t change. Rather, only the ‘k’ in the Volkswagen brand itself will be changed to a ‘t.’