26/03/2021

Our new brand

The Car.Software Organisation of the Volkswagen Group has received a new name: CARIAD. The new name reflects the digital transformation of the automotive industry and changing customer needs. The new brand is also presenting itself in a more digital way through design.

  • CompanyNews
Dirk Hilgenberg

“CARIAD is an important lever in the digital transformation of the Volkswagen Group. When developing the brand, it was therefore important to use that the thought of digitalization as well as transformation could be found in every aspect,” said Sophie-Marija Krähling, Head of Brand Strategy & Events at CARIAD.

The new name, which was developed by Interbrand, builds on changing customer needs. Today, automotive customers are demanding more comfort, more safety, more sustainability and more connectivity. With its software platforms and digital features, CARIAD is developing solutions and products that will turn the car into a smart companion to accompany customers into the future with continuous updates and new digital features, even years later. The new company name reflects this change and zeitgeist: ‘Car, I Am Digital’.

At the same time, the notion of transformation is at the core of the brand and conveyed in the new, central principle: “We transform automotive mobility.”

Twilight as the main color: The day as the smallest unit of transformation

For the brand design, the Berlin-based design agency Yukiko also looked to the transformation of the company and the industry.

The CARIAD colors are based on the changing light throughout the course of the day. The idea is that every day is a transformation in itself – from the light of the sun rise, to the light of the early morning hours, to the midday sun, the afternoon atmosphere into the blue hours, and the twilight hours into the night. This concept is emphasized by the names of the colors, such as ‘twilight’, ‘midnight’ and ‘sunlight’.

CARIAD Colors

CARIAD is also forging new paths with its logo. The company isn’t using a classic logo, but rather the ‘CARIAD Code’ – a set of 26 glyphs developed to give the company a collective visual code and language that can be used both in communication and as a design element. In moving images and digital communication, the CARIAD CODE creates an additional visual dynamic and expresses changeability for the brand.

CARIAD - Social Channels

Everything is digital: New brand film

Together with the agencies Faktor 3 (script and concept) and Media Picture Group (implementation, editing, music, post-production), CARIAD has developed a new brand film that captures the story of transformation from the perspective of a developer at CARIAD. It emphasizes the company’s mission and, at the same time, the enormous scope of work associated with this transformation.

Time to transform: Virtual employee event for the brand launch

The new brand was presented to over 4000 CARIAD employees on 26 March at a virtual event. At the first CARIAD C:onference, management and representatives from the technology divisions, as well as the communications team, presented company updates from the virtual production studio HYPERBOWL, based in Munich.  

Dirk Hilgenberg

In order to satisfy all necessary safety measures, the event, which was conceived together with Mutabor, was pre-recorded and broadcast ‘live’ online to employees on the morning of the brand launch, together with a live chat with management. The brand’s transformation was made visible through external channels too.

CARIAD Media Team

CARIAD Media Team