Volkswagen Trademarks 'Elli' in Europe

Fresh off a trademarking spree last week, Volkswagen is again calling dibs on a name relating to electric vehicles. The latest is “Elli” with a stylized lightning bolt next to it (pictured below).

The trademark, registered with the European Union Intellectual Property Office remains mysterious since it could apply to anything from “industrial oils and greases” to “vehicles and means of transport” to “Retailing and wholesaling relating to motor vehicles, automotive parts and accessories,” according to the application.

The lightning bolt, though, does seem to suggest that it will have to do with electric vehicles.

ALSO SEE: Production Names for VW’s Electric Cars Possibly Unveiled in Trademark Filing

The name, at first blush, conjures the Bulli, Germany’s nickname for the Type 2 Microbus. If you replace the B and the U with an electric E, you get Elli, which would suggest that this is a name for the production I.D. Buzz.

There are a few problems with that, though. Last week, you may recall, we uncovered nameplates for the I.D. range of vehicles that went from I.D. 1 to I.D. 9, which suggested to us that these would be VW’s chosen names for its range of electric vehicles.

The second is that Elli is the name of Norse Mythology’s personification of old age. Admittedly, she sounds like a badass (she beat Thor in a wrestling match because only dead the escape old age), but the Volkswagen Geriatric doesn’t exactly sound like sales hit.

Since the name (if we ignore the Norse connection) also has a friendly sound to it, and since Volkswagen’s application could equally apply to infotainment or sales, the name could also conceivably apply to a new infotainment assistant or to a new online sales tool. Two topics that VW has shown a lot of interest in exploring.

“Online business will make a key contribution to the development of the new sales model and is currently being massively expanded,” VW recently wrote in a statement.

Meanwhile, when the I.D. Vizzion was released, VW made a big deal about its infotainment system, allowing it to say hello to you and claiming that it would be able to stream media, too (in autonomous mode).

Unfortunately, since VW is growing so much, and since this trademark could apply to so many services, it’s hard to pin down just how this name will be applied.

From VWVortex.com