- they're changing the almost 100 years old name with... a pun on that name? Even a teenager would see it as a joke.
- the announcement comes out 2 days before April 1st and is deleted from the website shortly after publishing?
- the media packages it as an amazing "leak" and spins it into VW attempting to distance themselves from the diesel scandal?!
I'm worried if we trust a press that can be so easily and obviously misled.
* They got in trouble for diesel
* They're pivoting to electric
* The name sounds really similar, within the bounds of accent changes between cultures
* The logo (VW) wouldn't have to change
If it was a joke, then it failed because it was too realistic
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/30/volkswagens-name-change-of-u...
> An unfinished version of the initial press release went out briefly on VW’s U.S. media newsroom website Monday morning before it was taken down. Media outlets, including CNBC, *reported it as news __after__ it was confirmed by unnamed sources within the company, who apparently lied to several reporters.*
"Media outlets, including CNBC, reported it as news after it was confirmed by unnamed sources within the company, who apparently lied to several reporters."
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/30/volkswagens-name-change-of-u...
Also, I took a screenshot of the press release in case anyone missed it:
Roughly ~55% of Americans don't trust the press. What's more worrying is the void that leaves, to be filled with marketing / spam / "fake news" style manipulation that tells people what they want to hear.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/07/10/ihop-fake...
Just change the name and change it back, the media can have at it, not their problem. Ultimately it's the car that matters.
For real? A company with global presence, to LEGALLY change their name? And then run through the bureaucratic hell with countries, tax authorities, customs, contracts, insurance companies, changing logos/templates..
Do you have what is the actual cost to change a name for a company?
The top hit on a DDG search:
https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-do-i-change-my-business-na...
Before you start the process, think about the costs and time to change a business name. The legal change of business name is only one part of the process and the cost. The other part is making the change in all the places where your business name is displayed to the public and internally and on legal documents.
Now take this and apply it in (practically) every country on the planet, as VW is not a single store across the street.
You wonder what it WOULD take for VW, Chevy, Ford, Toyota etc to convince you their product and commitment was on par with Tesla
That they've been making production electric cars longer than Tesla, like Nissan has?
(Though my singular Nissan dealer experience kinda put me off Nissans for a while.)
Is April fools the 'marketing dept' version of 'Staging' in a CI/CD pipeline? (or maybe blue/green deployment is better analogy !)
Like, if the tests fail (the public is enraged at your tweak ex. 'volt'swagen) , rollback the change under the guise of 'April fools'
Irregardless, it literally begs the question.
A simple example would be "My favorite author is always right because he says so in his latest book." The proof is merely a restatement of the premise. The sentence has begged the question.
I don't get it and just wanted to vent a little bit, putting my feelings about linguistic prescriptivism aside.
"Oh, lighten up, it's an April Fools joke."
"It's fucking January."
Edited to update the death count.
"A peer-reviewed study published in Environmental Research Letters estimated that approximately 59 premature deaths will be caused by the excess pollution produced between 2008 and 2015 by vehicles equipped with the defeat device in the United States"
Not quite "thousands". Obviously still an egregious act from the company.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_emissions_scandal#D...
In both cases, what a weird episode.
War of the Worlds.
https://ev-sales.blogspot.com/2021/01/europe-december-2020.h...
So far they're still leading in Europe in 2021:
https://ev-sales.blogspot.com/2021/03/europe-february-2021.h...
Eventually they'll be the biggest BEV maker worldwide.
It's not surprising. Volkswagen and Toyota are the world's biggest car companies and Volkswagen started its BEV push earlier than Toyota.
By contrast, Toyota was 12.53%, GM 17.30%, Ford 13.87%, etc.
1. https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/volkswagen-us-sales-figures/
Previous thread: Voltswagen of America - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26634857 - March 2021 (561 comments)
What has happened to everyone?
I'd almost think they had to price it in, but VW really seems to misunderstand regulatory risk. If a car was going to have shrimp tails in it, it'd be VW.
It is very 2020ies. Doing this in 2030 will make you pass as a millenial.
Hopefully 2 years to think on their jokes ups their game this year. This was a great prank on the media, albeit a day or two early.