Volkswagen has no plans to change the name of its American division Volkswagen of America to the new Voltswagen brand. As it turned out, the press release, which appeared briefly on the website of the American division of the automaker, was just a marketing ploy aimed at promoting a new electric car model.

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It should be noted that the company is in complete confusion. Volkswagen’s US spokesman Mark Gillies said on Tuesday that the announcement was a joke on April 1, April Fools’ Day, although he insisted on Monday that the press release was official, as was the brand change.

“Volkswagen of America will not change its name to Voltswagen. The renaming was conceived as a April Fools’ Day announcement, highlighting the launch of the all-electric ID.4 SUV and signaling our commitment to providing electric mobility for all. “ – explained Gillies.

The deliberate release of a fake press release, which is extremely unusual for a large public company, came amid efforts by Voltswagen to restore its image, which was shaken after the scandal in 2015. Dieselgate, or an attempt to trick the public and regulators by misrepresenting diesel vehicle emissions test results, has hit Volkswagen’s reputation badly. It also affected its budget, as it had to spend about 30 billion euros on payments to defrauded buyers, as well as on the settlement of lawsuits.

By 2025, Volkswagen intends to invest 16 billion euros in the electrification and digitalization of its cars. The company previously announced plans to sell over a million electric vehicles worldwide by 2025.