Volkswagen

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Volkswagon or shortened to VW is a German automaker founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front, known for the iconic Beetle and headquartered in Wolfsburg. It is the flagship brand of the Volkswagen Group. The German term Volk translates to "people", thus Volkswagen translates to "people's car".[1]

Volkswagen, which also makes vehicles under the Audi, Skoda, Seat and Porsche brands, is the world's largest carmaker, delivering nearly 11 million vehicles in 2019.

Volkswagen, which additionally makes vehicles under the Audi, Skoda, Seat and Porsche brands, is the world's biggest carmaker, conveying almost 11 million vehicles in 2019..[2]

VW Golf Instagram ad

Volkswagen advert shows black man pushed by giant white hand.

VW distributed a (presently erased) 10-second clip of an advertisement on Instagram, advancing its new Golf. The ad followed an interracial couple in Argentina and  mimicked the style of a new Tik-Tok trend. The clip shows the a huge hand of a white lady pushing around a back man prior to flicking him into a cafe called "Petit Colon" over a soundtrack of a  a woman's laughter,, peppy music, and comedic audio effects. The cafe is a real area in Buenos Aires close to the Teatro Colon, a theatre named after Christopher Columbus.[3]

Controversy

The advertisement drew reaction for its portrayal of an immense white hand getting and flicking a Black man away from a yellow Volkswagen Golf. The man is then pushed into a café called Petit Colon, which means "Little Settler" or "Little Colonist."[4] Some claimed that the white hand is additionally seen giving what resembles a white power salute. And afterward the 'Der neue Golf' ('The new Golf') slogan appears to blur to uncover what is very near the N***er in German.[5]

The company took down the ad shortly after it was posted, issuing an apology and vowing an investigation.

Clarification

Subsequent to being heavily criticize, VW at first reacted by saying that the  "origin of the people depicted is irrelevant" and that the firm opppsed "all types of bigotry, xenophobia and discrimination." The company said that they were surprised and shocked by the reaction that they got from public which they deemed as misunderstanding.

Nonetheless, the statement and the withdrawal of the ad just served to provoke a second criticism that Volkswagen was neither taking responsibility nor really saying 'sorry' for the clip. Responding to the further outrage, VW gave a more far reaching statement of regret, saying "without question: The video wasn't right and boring," and that it understood why people were upset by it. "We distance ourselves from this and apologize," they said, promising consequences and an investigation.[6]

The apology comes days after the Volkswagen Group, which possesses a few vehicle brands including Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, and VW, reported that its CEO, Herbert Diess, would surrender his position as top of the VW brand. He will remain on as head of the group, while fellow VW brand executive, Ralf Brandstätter, will assume the role of CEO.[7]

References

  1. Volkswagon. Retrieved on December 26, 2020.
  2. Riley, Charles & Ziady, Hanna (2020). Volkswagen made a racist ad. Here's why no one got fired. Retrieved on December 26, 2020.
  3. Espiner, Tom (2020). VW pulls Instagram ads after racism row. Retrieved on December 26, 2020.
  4. Levin, Tim (2020). Volkswagen apologizes for Instagram ad, saying 'racist intentions did not play any role' in its production. Retrieved on December 26, 2020.
  5. Coggan, Georgia (2020). Was Volkswagen's racist ad a deliberate act of sabotage?. Retrieved on December 26, 2020.
  6. DW (2020). Volkswagen pulls ad, apologizes for racist overtones. Retrieved on December 26, 2020.
  7. Levin, Tim (2020). Volkswagen apologizes for Instagram ad, saying 'racist intentions did not play any role' in its production. Retrieved on December 26, 2020.