Volkswagen May Be Changing Its Name in the US

(Update: Volkswagen has confirmed this was an April Fool's prank. See update here. Original story follows.) Americans who buy a VW in the near future might be buying it from Voltswagen—with a t— instead of Volkswagen. Both USA Today and CNBC report that the automaker accidentally published a news release on its website Monday announcing the name change for the company's American division. The release, which has since been removed, was dated April 29, suggesting that somebody posted it exactly a month early by accident. The company has not officially responded, but both outlets talk to sources who say it's not a marketing stunt or a hoax of some kind. (Road and Track, for one, wondered whether it could be an April Fool's joke released early.)

Instead, it's an authentic name change coming soon that is intended to reflect VW's push into the electric-vehicle market, according to the stories. Along those lines, the company plans to have more than 70 electric models for sale worldwide by 2029. According to the release, gas- and diesel-powered cars sold in the US would continue to have the traditional VW logo. But electric vehicles would instead have a logo that says "Voltswagen." The division Voltswagen of America would be an operating unit of Volkswagen Group of America and a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG. (More Volkswagen stories.)