For the first time since 2012, Volkswagen is all set to reveal an all new logo and the company will give us a glimpse of that at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. We had already told you back in July 2018, that the company will reveal its brand new logo in 2019 and now we finally know when. The change in logo for the German automaker is because the new management thinks that the automaker's appeal globally is 'too German' and unemotional. Incidentally, the 'too German' part has always been the core communication of the Volkswagen brand in the past across all forms of advertising - especially with their mainstream cars like the Golf. Incidentally, it is also because of the logo that the company is recognised as 'VW' in short - especially in enthusiast circles.
Volkswagen will be moving away from the 3D bubblelike blue-and-white VW sign to a flat, simple black-and-white logo, according to a report published Thursday by Autoweek and yes you'll see this new logo on a car at the Frankfurt Motor show as well. The logo will be somewhat closer to what it was in the 1960's for the company although, we think the flat and simple logo will look great on cars of any colour.
The starting signal will be given by the unveiling of the new logo on the high-rise building at company headquarters in Wolfsburg. The changeover is to be implemented in several waves using a cost-optimized, resource-conserving approach. Initially, the brand's locations and dealers in Europe will be changed over, followed by China in October. The changeover will then be implemented step-by-step in North and South America as well as the rest of the world from the beginning of 2020. All in all, 171 markets will be affected. At the more than 10,000 facilities of dealers and service partners throughout the world, about 70,000 logos will be replaced. Volkswagen's rebranding will therefore be one of the largest operations of this type in the industry world-wide. The new brand design is the result of the Transform 2025+ strategy adopted by Volkswagen in the fall of 2015. The brand is now preparing for phase 2 of Transform 2025+, the roll-out of its e-mobility and digitalization strategy. This also includes the fundamental realignment of the company's communications with its customers. As a manufacturer, Volkswagen will be in a position to communicate direct with the customer for the first time via the networking of the vehicle, dealers and customers in a Volkswagen ecosystem focusing on the customer. Volkswagen is being transformed from a pure automaker into a provider of mobility services going beyond the customer's own car. For this purpose, the sales structure of the brand is being fundamentally transformed together with the dealers and marketing is being realigned.
It was in 1939 that Volkswagen showcased its first logo and if you see the picture above, it's been through quite a few changes, the last major change to the logo happened in 2012, so it is after 90 years that we'll first see this big change made to the logo which will usher in a new direction for the company.
