London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 30, 2025

VW's being investigated by SEC over Voltswagen April Fools marketing stunt

VW's being investigated by SEC over Voltswagen April Fools marketing stunt

Volkswagen's April Fool's Day marketing stunt claiming a name change to Voltswagen has the company in hot water with the SEC.

Volkswagen is being investigated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over an April Fools Day marketing stunt in which the company claimed it was changing the name of its U.S. unit to Voltswagen, according to German business magazine Der Spiegel (via Reuters).

The SEC first requested information about the joke name change, which was meant to promote VW's electric cars, in early April, according to the report, which also quoted VW as confirming the investigation.

Automakers often indulge in April Fools Day jokes, but in this case VW claimed it wasn't joking. The Voltswagen name first came to light in a leaked press release that appeared a few days before April 1 and was widely reported on by media. When Motor Authority and other media outlets asked VW public relations directly if the name change was real, a spokesperson indicated it was.

2021 Voltswagen ID.4


At least one analyst praised the name change, while VW share prices rose on the day the Voltswagen name was announced, Reuters reported. The fluctuation in stock prices over the fake name is likely what drew the SEC's attention.

VW subsequently confirmed that the announcement, which also included details on changes to vehicle badging, was an elaborate marketing stunt to promote electric cars. The automaker just launched its first mass-market electric car—the ID.4 crossover—and plans to build 28 million EVs by 2028, encompassing 70 different models across the German automaker's many global brands.

This isn't the first time the SEC has investigated an auto-industry prank. In 2018, the agency fined Tesla CEO Elon Musk $40 million after he made misleading statements about taking Tesla private. Musk was also forced to step down as chairman of the automaker.

This also isn't the first VW investigation in recent years. In 2015, the automaker admitted that it used illegal software in diesel engines to cheat on emissions tests, which cost the company billions of dollars.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
×