Volkswagen to reinvent itself as young and hip

THREE significant developments will be announced by Volkswagen at the Frankfurt Motor Show, set on September 10-22.

One is that the Volkswagen ID.31, to be unveiled at the show, will “usher in a new era” for the brand much like the Beetle and the Golf did, said the carmaker.

Another is that the brand will reveal a new logo — which leads into the third development. Volkswagen said that come the Frankfurt spectacle, the brand will be presented as something which is “significantly younger, more digital and generally more modern.”

“The IAA in Frankfurt will be a pivotal moment in the strategic reorientation of the Volkswagen brand. The results of our work will become visible with the ID.3 and the new brand design,” said Volkswagen Passenger Cars COO Ralf Brandstatter. “We look forward to presenting ‘New Volkswagen’ to the public.”

This transformation, according to the company, started with a reorientation of content and sustainable products almost four years ago.

With the new brand design, the “New Volkswagen” concept will become visible and perceptible in the design of the vehicles, in customer contacts and in the corporate presentation as a whole, according to the company. It added the objective is to create a new 360-degree customer experience that is modern and fascinating throughout the world and across all channels.

Volkswagen’s chief designer Klaus Bischoff, who Volkswagen said played a key role in the development of the new corporate identity, said the new brand design “reflects a type of mobility that forms a natural part of people’s lives.”

“Volkswagen has always been a key element in these efforts. In the new age of mobility, the motto is ‘digital first’, without any filters,” he said.

The new presentation will not only be bolder and more colorful but will also be digitally oriented from the brand logo through to the world of images. The brand’s visual language will be very different from that projected by Volkswagen to date, the carmaker promised.

The international roll-out of the new brand design will begin at the Frankfurt show and will be implemented in several waves across Europe and in China in October. To follow are North America and South America, as well as the rest of the world from the beginning of 2020. The changeover will be seen in 171 markets.