German car marque Volkswagen has announced it’s updating its famed VW logo and badge apparently to appeal to internet-savvy younger buyers.
The old blue logo on the left is to be replaced by the new flatter, black logo on the right and, don’t worry, you’re not the only one that missed the subtle change.
The new logo loses the 3D effect for a simpler, flattened-out look, part of a new strategy the company is calling Vibrant Power.
Apparently, the new logo is designed to appeal to younger car buyers who would be more interested in VW’s much-hyped electric vehicle range.
While critics argue that it’s all a marketing stunt to detract from the emissions scandal of 2015 where the company was busted for making false environmental claims about the capacity of its diesel-powered vehicles.
The new logo will be officially unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month and will replace over 70,000 logos at its facilities worldwide.
DDB Sydney currently handles all of the brand’s creative in Australia.
Commenting on the new design, the carmaker’s head of sales and marketing, Jochen Sengpiehl, said: “The new logo has been reduced to its essential components” but added that “the W hovers”.
“It’s a striking difference to previous versions if one traces back the history of Volkswagen logos” and is designed to look good on a billboard as it does on a smartwatch, he added.
Sengpiehl also said the company had worked on a “sound logo” (think Audi’s “Vorsprung durch Technik”) which would also be unveiled alongside the official launch of the new-look logo.
“This sound will make Volkswagen unmistakable acoustically as well,” Sengpiehl said.
