Volkswagen will unveil a redesigned logo as part of the automaker's major rebranding at this year’s Frankfurt motor show, coinciding with the launch of the new VW ID 3 electric hatchback.
Called New Volkswagen, the logo has been developed to make the brand appear "significantly younger, more digital and more modern." It has been in development for more than three years and is rooted in the changes the firm made following the Dieselgate emissions scandal.
The rebranding will coincide with the launch of the ID 3, the first production vehicle based on the Volkswagen Group’s full-electric MEB platform. Although the first vehicle to go on sale bearing the new logo will be the eighth-generation Golf, which is due to launch later this year and go on sale in early 2020.
Volkswagen’s current logo has been in use since 2010. The new one was developed entirely in-house by the firm and maintains the letters V and W in a circle in a simpler, two-dimensional design. It will be presented on cars in gloss white on a black background, although this may change; future GTI models will feature a red version of the logo.
Volkswagen marketing boss Jochen Sengpiehl said that the current ‘3D’ logo had “become a bit heavy, somewhat immobile, especially in today’s digital era”. He added: “The new logo has been reduced to its essential components. It's flat, open, full of contrast and clearly perceived. The new logo is not just a logo but an icon.” Sengpiehl added that a particular focus had been placed on how the logo would appear in digital form.
The rebranding will also include a new typeface and the addition of light blue alongside white and dark blue as Volkswagen’s official brand colours.
Volkswagen’s chief operating officer, Ralf Brandstätter, said the new logo is the “logical consequence” of changes the firm has undergone in the wake of Dieselgate; including a heavy focus on electrification and reducing its CO2 emissions. Volkswagen has also simplified its product range, introduced greater regional focus and reduced the number of parts used in production.
“What began as a fundamental crisis turned out to be a catalyst for the transformation of Volkswagen,” said Brandstätter. “Now it’s time to boldly move forward. We plan to be the world market leader in electric mobility by 2025, which means selling one million EVs per year by then.”
“Volkswagen is on its way to emissions-free mobility for all. It’s our mindset, not a claim in advertising,” he added. “We want to make mobility emissions-free for everyone. It’s not going to happen overnight.”
As part of the company restructuring, Volkswagen is also rethinking how it works with dealers. It has renegotiated contracts with European dealers so as to deal with them more directly, and there will be greater use of digital platforms in the future.
The new logo will be shown in public at the Frankfurt motor show, and will simultaneously be installed at the firm’s headquarters in Wolfsburg. Over the next two years, it will be rolled out across more than 10,000 dealers in 171 markets, with the firm estimating that a total of 70,000 logos will be replaced.
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