Volkswagen drops Bluetec diesel branding; returns to TDI
Volkswagen AG has decided to return to its own specialized TDI branding for diesel vehicles. This move would mean that its partnership with DaimlerChrysler in the Bluetec diesel campaign would come to an end, aborting a crusade that has just been forged early last year.
Responding to a report in the German magazine Wirtshaftswoche, VW spokesperson Hans-Gerd Bode explained that the reason for this partnership pull-out is due to the fact that Volkswagen itself has not produced any diesel products in the market as of late. This scenario can be further traced to the strict implementation of the Unites States emissions regulations. And with their renewed focus on its own branding, Volkswagen aims to put an end to the company’s dieseled-unit manufacturing drought through the introduction of its new line of diesel vehicles in 2008.
Wirtshaftswoche magazine, in its article, has insinuated that the major reason for the partnership breakup between the two automobile giants is due to the fact that the Bluetec brand has earned a strong brand association with Mercedes. The article further disclosed that being strong competitors in the market, this entrance of Mercedes to the Bluetec name didn’t sit well with Volkswagen.
With this, Bode vehemently denied said allegations. According to him, there is no such ill will in the Volkswagen camp: “We already have 800,000 diesel vehicles running in the United States, and for that reason we want to go ahead with our TDI brand,” he said.