April Fool's Day is meant to be a fun, lighthearted holiday meant to extract some humor in an otherwise unexciting world.
This year, we saw some companies and public figures jump in on the action. Popular YouTuber MrBeast announced that he was quitting YouTube as a joke, while Oreo cookies jokingly announced 'split' products called "Just The Wafer" and "Just The Creme."
One of the brands that tries to get in on the fun is German automaker Volkswagen (VLKAF) , but they are known for taking things a little bit too far.
This year, their attempt at a lighthearted joke resulted in massive heartbreak for some of its most loyal fans.
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Volkswagen's UK division posted a teaser on its various social media accounts on March 28 in the style of a potential product announcement.
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The post consisted of four different pictures that read out "Color is coming IYKYK [If you know, you know]," and those who 'did know,' alluded to a potential re-release of a beloved limited-edition model.
Enter the Harlequin:
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What enthusiasts got excited over was a potential modern-day version of the Harlequin — a limited edition series of cars that were a a fun experiment for VW in the 1990s.
Inspired by a 1964 VW Beetle print advertisement, the Harlequins were sold as versions of the compact Polo and Golf Hatchbacks meant to show off the various vibrant colors that the cars came in. The cars wore a different color for each body panel, creating a unique sight on the roads.
They have since become a cult favorite and wishlist item of Volkswagen enthusiasts, who to this day keep registries of each one produced.
Currently one example of the 1996 Volkswagen Golf Harlequin is being offered at auction via Bring a Trailer. According to the listing, the 79,000-mile example is one of 264 examples produced for the North American market, and previously fetched $25,500 at a BaT online auction in 2021.
The Prank:
On April 1, Volkswagen UK seemingly revealed that the Harlequin's legacy will continue through a limited 'Harlequin' edition of the ID.3 electric hatchback. The automaker posted the following announcement on their UK social media pages with the caption:
"New ID.3, hues this? Introducing the limited edition ID.3 Harlequin. On sale from today.💙❤️💛💚"
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However, the link attached to a similar post on its Facebook page revealed the worst news for Harlequin fans.
"The truth is, we completely made it up for April Fool’s Day. It was just a bit of fun."
To seal the deal, Volkswagen posted a subsequent photo on its social media pages to rub some additional salt in the wounds. In the post is a photo of a billboard showing the 'completely made up' Electroluminescent ID.3 Harlequin Edition, complete with its line of ad copy ending by saying "Well, it is April 1st."
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The Reaction:
Though much of the discourse on Volkswagen's announcement reflected on a general dislike of electric cars, many who responded to VW's posts said that they missed a potential opportunity.
Instagram user @666markmalade666 said "jokes on you though cause you'd make an absolute packet if it was on a Golf [laughing emoji]."
Another Instagram user by the name of @chicken_noodles_in_soup responded by saying "This is a massive shame. A Harlequin ID.3 would've made me buy one. [laughing emoji]"
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Others were not amused.
Instagram user @hxn.jp said "not really [an] 'April' Fools when you started telling everyone in March though, is it? [woozy face emoji]."
Instagram user @gavin_millard said "That was below the belt VW. Apologise! [disappointed emoji]."
Millard's comment was met with a response by Volkswagen UK, responding to their disappointment comment with a praying hands emoji.
Caleb Jacobs for The Drive contacted two different Volkswagen enthusiasts for their perspectives on the matter.
Levi Krohn responded on VW UK's Facebook page with a comment simply saying "booooo" with a tomato emoji, but he said that the April Fool's 'joke' was more of a deeper reflection on the VW brand.
"I really think they kind of ‘shot themselves in the foot’ with this April Fools' Day joke," Krohn told The Drive. "VW is pretty known for its niche ideas and has a very strong following for coming up with and producing some wild concepts. I know a ton of people would love to see Harlequin re-done in a new style, paying homage to the original Polo and Golf versions.
"I think there’s so much history with this brand. We’ve seen other car makers bring back old ideas and fumble them pretty badly. This one from VW seemed like a no-brainer to be an absolute home run but unfortunately, it was just a joke. Sad to see, but hopefully they get the message that the loyal community of VW enthusiasts would love to see this one come to fruition!"
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VW aftermarket specialist Autrey McVicker noted that a brand as big as Volkswagen should not be able to miss an opportunity with a guaranteed loyal base of support.
"We are their largest group of cheerleaders and to see them toy with that core group's emotions over re-releasing one of their more iconic concepts just breaks our hearts," McVicker said.
"We love what they have offered over the years, and we are dying inside to see them do something exciting again just because they can. There is no reason why the largest automaker on the planet is unable to do unique things or reimagined things 'just because.'"
"They took a very good opportunity to farm their base and squandered it over a joke that no one thinks is funny outside of their marketing department."
