Steve Hanley reported yesterday on Volkswagen’s new plan for how it will name electric vehicle models, and it’s easy to imagine this story just gliding under the radar. However, it’s really a huge deal. I was just about to write on the story when I saw Steve had just submitted his piece, but it warrants several articles, in my opinion.
I actually liked Volkswagen’s ID naming convention fine enough. It was clear, had a kind of 21st century vibe, and was easy to remember. (Unlike some other EV names from other brands….) Earlier on in the transition to EVs, and still done at some brands, tagging “EV” on to conventional gas car model names got clunky and, more importantly, often made for a hard sell for the EV model because its price tag was always much higher (and people don’t pay attention to total cost of ownership). It often felt like companies not giving unique names to their EVs were not serious, not trying to actually sell them, and just hoping the EV trend went away — or delaying putting real effort into it, at least. Often most importantly, the EV batteries and powertrains were just being shoved into bodies that had been designed for internal combustion engine powertrains.
So, why would I be excited about this shift from Volkswagen?

First of all, Volkswagen has shown a commitment to a serious transition to electric vehicles. It didn’t even cross my mind that the company would stop prioritizing this shift and be designing future models around ICE powertrains. That’s not what this is about.
In the automotive world, though, many models have been around for decades. The versions today actually have nothing in common from the versions of the 1970s, or almost nothing, but they continue because people are attached to their memories and favorites of the past. Their cars are the second most expensive or most expensive purchases people make, so they care a lot about them, have significant memories of buying them and where they were at that point in their lives, and often make them so much a part of the family that they even give them names. Leaning into that and using those memories to sell a new car to someone can be quite reliant on something as simple as the model name.

Even when people aren’t that attached to their cars, being used to something can matter a lot. Say that you had a Volkswagen Polo or a Volkswagen Golf, it has no name because you’re not really like that, but the car has always served you well and seemed like a good value. Many people in that situation just want to buy the same model again. They don’t want to risk getting something not as good.
So, phasing out models that people are used to — like the Polo, Passat, Golf — and replacing them with soulless numeric names with little or no history is actually a good way to lose customers. Many people will not feel as comfortable buying a new model, and will be more open to buying another “old” model they are used to from another brand than trying something new and risky.
Giving someone an upgraded version — an electric version — of what they are used to is a much easier way to land a sale for a decent portion of the population. It can help to ease their concerns about a new powertrain, too. “Oh, it’s electric now. But it’s still a Polo, so I’m sure it’s fine.”

I imagine this decision took a bit of handwringing and discussion around the Volkswagen boardroom, but imagine how many times those executives have talked to people who bought Golfs, Passats, Polos, Jettas, and other models for decades and raved to them about how much they loved those particular models. They surely have market research data as well that shows a certain percentage of buyers just want to buy the same model again.
With decades of marketing around individual market brands, it just makes sense to not kill them off simply because we are transitioning to electric powertrains and keep the cultural momentum going. As another example of that, Volkswagen just released a new press release today titled “50 years of the Polo: Volkswagen celebrates anniversary with spectacular drift video.” The Polo lives on, even in the age of drifting and EVs. The new electric Polo RX1e is one of three versions highlighted in the video and press release. The “ID. 2all” would not have made the cut.

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Zach is tryin’ to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director, chief editor, and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about electric vehicles and renewable energy at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao.
Zachary Shahan has 8463 posts and counting. See all posts by Zachary Shahan

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