Volkswagen ditches ‘Das Auto’: Report

VOLKSWAGEN has ditched its “Das Auto” global advertising strapline after eight years of service, in the wake of its “Dieselgate” scandal, according to a report from Reuters.

The slogan – which simply means “the car” – has been deemed too bold for the German car-making giant after its cheating of US diesel emissions tests came to light in September this year, and will be phased out as Volkswagen seeks to rebuild customer confidence.

According to a Volkswagen spokesperson, a more modest slogan will appear in its place for future advertising campaigns.

“Wherever our logo appears in future, it will be backed by the new brand slogan ‘Volkswagen’,” they said. “The slogan will be rolled out in stages across the world.”

The loss of world famous slogan is a result of a closed-door meeting with Volkswagen top management as it tries to stem a sharp sales drop in the US and British markets.

However, Volkswagen Australia has remained largely unaffected, finding 55,767 new owners in the first 11 months of the year, an 11 per cent increase over the 50,262 new car sales it saw over the same period last year.

The restructuring of Volkswagen’s advertising identity follows an announcement of the reduction of model variants and trim options, the departure of long-standing CEO Martin Winterkorn and setting aside $A11 billion to deal with the fallout of the scandal.