{"id":217583,"date":"2021-04-02T15:55:53","date_gmt":"2021-04-02T12:55:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/volkswagen-us-chief-takes-blame-for-voltswagen-debacle\/"},"modified":"2021-04-02T15:55:53","modified_gmt":"2021-04-02T12:55:53","slug":"volkswagen-us-chief-takes-blame-for-voltswagen-debacle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/volkswagen-us-chief-takes-blame-for-voltswagen-debacle\/","title":{"rendered":"#Volkswagen US chief takes blame for ‘Voltswagen’ debacle"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Volkswagen US chief takes blame for ‘Voltswagen’ debacle<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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The head of Volkswagen\u2019s US business says he\u2019ll be responsible for cleaning up after the automaker\u2019s clumsy marketing prank this week.<\/p>\n

Scott Keogh, the CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, took the blame for his company\u2019s botched attempt at an April Fools\u2019 joke in which it declared it would rename itself \u201cVoltswagen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many consumers and investors took the Tuesday announcement seriously even though VW said it was just a gag meant to highlight its commitment to electric vehicles \u2014 a reaction Keogh claims he didn\u2019t expect.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever in our wildest dreams did we imagine it taking hold,\u201d Keogh told The Wall Street Journal<\/a> in a Thursday interview. \u201cIf there\u2019s any trust or credibility to be rebuilt from me, I\u2019m going to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keogh was quoted in a joke news<\/a> release trumpeting the change that app<\/a>eared on Volkswagen\u2019s US communications website Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\"Volkswagen\"
Many consumers and investors took the Tuesday announcement seriously even though VW said it was just a gag.<\/figcaption>
Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A draft of the release was prematurely published on the site Monday and taken down before the final version was posted, suggesting the rebrand was for real. VW\u2019s corporate Twitter<\/a> account also posted a tweet<\/a> about the change that had yet to be taken down as of Friday morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe might be changing out our K for a T, but what we aren\u2019t changing is this brand\u2019s commitment to making best-in-class vehicles for drivers and people everywhere,\u201d Keogh said in the release.<\/p>\n

Keogh told the Journal that VW thought it would be clear the stunt was meant as a joke and that it wasn\u2019t meant to trick the public. But the automaker\u2019s headquarters in Germany had to walk back the announcement after it became clear that not everyone shared its sense of humor.<\/p>\n

Keogh reportedly sees a silver lining in the debacle: it brought attention to VW\u2019s focus on electric cars such as its ID.4 SUV.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a gag with humor, whether you like it or not,\u201d he told the Journal. \u201cThe upside is, obviously, the social response has been the biggest numbers we\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d\n <\/p><\/div>\n