GERMANY – German automaker Volkswagen (VW) has just dropped its iconic “Das Auto” tagline in a bid to rebuild its image following an emissions scandal last September.
Instead, the eight-year old global slogan, which translates to “The Car”, will be replaced with the “Volkswagen” brand name itself in all future marketing campaigns. The change will be rolled out in stages globally.
Reports cite that VW has spent approximately $400 million in the U.S. alone. Deutsch L.A. is its domestic agency.
A PR spokesman told Reuters, “Wherever our logo appears in future, it will be backed by the new brand slogan ‘Volkswagen’.”
VW came under fire last September when the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act to the automaker for rigging exhaust emission tests on some diesel-powered models during lab tests.
Real-world driving tests confirmed that the car’s programming has led it to emit up to 40 times more nitrogen oxide (NOx) above US emissions standards. VW put this programming in about eleven million cars worldwide during model years 2009 through 2015.
