--- title: "Volkswagen Pulls 2021 Golf Ad, Apologizes for Racist Overtones" description: "This was really not great, folks." date: "2020-05-21" modified: "2020-05-21" authors: - name: "Chris Teague" job_title: "Contributor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/chris-teague" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/33601/volkswagen-pulls-2021-golf-ad-apologizes-for-racist-overtones" categories: - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Volkswagen News" tags: - "compact" - "golf" - "Hatchback" - "Volkswagen" --- # Volkswagen Pulls 2021 Golf Ad, Apologizes for Racist Overtones ![]() *\www.thedrive.com\* Today in the "how the hell did that happen?" file, Volkswagen is apologizing for [a new advertisement that was so blatant in its racist overtones]() that it's hard to believe nobody raised a huge red flag before it was made public. The ad for the new [2021 Volkswagen Golf]() has been pulled from VW's social media accounts, but on the internet, everything lasts forever. The now-scuttled short video is part of a series that follows a love story between a white woman and a dark-skinned man. The German-market ad depicts the man being pushed around and prodded by a giant hand (the woman's) while silly music plays. That all sounds innocent enough until you notice that the dark-skinned man is being abused by a gigantic white person, which is not a great look. And let’s not ignore the “OK” hand gesture, which is recognized as a symbol of white supremacy by anti-hate groups everywhere. Making matters worse, as the ad comes to a close, [German words appear]() on the screen that say “Der Neue Golf”, which means “The New Golf.” Again, innocent enough, right? Well, no, because as the characters begin to appear on the screen to create those words, the first letters that show up on screen spell out the German equivalent of an infamous racial slur. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1262833851807797249 The company’s response to the criticism was swift. After pulling the video down, Volkswagen’s head of diversity management, Elke Heitmueller and its board member for sales and marketing, Juergen Stackmann, [both took to social media to issue an apology](). “We understand the public outrage at this. Because we’re horrified, too,” they wrote, before acknowledging the company’s role in [Hitler’s Nazi Germany](). The statement continued on to say that “we at Volkswagen are aware of the historical origins and the guilt of our company during the Nazi regime. That is precisely why we resolutely oppose all forms of hatred, slander/propaganda and discrimination.” [A VW spokesperson]() said that advertising is usually handled by an outside agency, and noted that the company is investigating how and why the ad slipped through the cracks. It's reasonably safe to say that the agency just lost a very big client and more than a few people are likely out of work over the incident. *h/t:* [*BBC*]() *Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com* ## Author After working in the technology and software industry for several years, Chris Teague began writing as a way to help people outside of that world understand the sometimes very technical work that goes on behind the scenes. With a lifelong love of all things automotive, he turned his attention to writing new vehicle reviews, detailing industry trends, and breaking news. Along the way, he earned an MBA with a focus on data analysis that has helped him gain a strong understanding of why the auto industry’s biggest companies make the decisions they do. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [Twitter]()