ZEENAT MOORAD: Volkswagen undergoes a major makeover
Part of Volkswagen’s ‘makeover’ seems a desperate undertaking in brand rehab — much like cutting your hair or buying a new outfit after a breakup
Car maker Volkswagen is set to change its logo. The reasoning appears twofold: it wants to put the "dieselgate" scandal firmly behind it, and it’s pushing hard into the electric car market. €20bn hard, actually. It’s easy to understand why Volkswagen would prepare for a strategic shift to zero-emission and self-driving technology. Tigerish Tesla and its space billionaire are fast garnering brand recognition. Oh, and cheating on diesel emissions tests has cost the German company US$23bn (and counting) in fines and settlements. There is no guarantee that tweaking the Volkswagen logo will be effective in erasing the taint of "dieselgate". This part of Volkswagen’s "makeover" seems a desperate undertaking in brand rehab — much like cutting your hair or buying a new outfit after a breakup. To regain trust and change perceptions, Volkswagen (and by Volkswagen I mean Porsche family descendants, the German government and labour unions) needs to become more transparent. Power needs to be dec...
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