Image used with permission of the copyright holder Volkswagen’s diesel scandal has taken its toll, as everyone from the VW Group’s chief executive to design and research and development chiefs has stepped down. But the last victim is not the director, it is the slogan.
Volkswagen will ditch the “Das Auto” slogan it has used since 2007 as it works to revamp its image, Reuters reports. The tagline simply means “Car,” but executives apparently feel that changing things up will help improve VW’s image in the eyes of the public and its disgruntled customers.
Executives reportedly see “Das Auto” as at odds with current attempts to show humility after VW admitted it installed software in diesel cars that allowed the vehicles to cheat on emissions tests. Instead of slogans, future advertising will simply use the Volkswagen name and logo.
In a closed-door meeting to discuss the Volkswagen brand’s image problems, VW brand boss Herbert Diess reportedly criticized the slogan launched under ousted VW boss Martin Winterkorn. He called it “pretentious” and suggested Volkswagen create a new slogan that better conveys its future plans for areas such as electric cars. In the months since the scandal, VW has said it will pay more attention to electric cars in the future, including launching an electric version of its Phaeton luxury sedan.
Over the past few weeks, Volkswagen has been doing some damage control in the wake of the scandal, at least in terms of public relations. He released the findings of an internal investigation that concluded a handful of engineers had created “defeat device” software without management’s knowledge, and vowed to restructure to improve accountability. He also hired attorney Kenneth Feinberg to oversee payments to owners of affected diesel cars.
But the actual recall of those cars is still not in sight. The California Air Resources Board said last week it would extend the deadline to review a potential fix that VW submitted last month. Both the California agency and the US Environmental Protection Agency must approve the plan before Volkswagen can proceed. The recall of some cars in Europe, where emissions standards are less stringent, is expected to begin in January.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn