Volkswagen apologizes for ‘inappropriate and tasteless’ ad

Germany’s Volkswagen car company removed an advertisement from social media this week after critics said the video was racist.

The social media advertisement shows a person who appears to be black being pushed by a large white hand next to a yellow Volkswagen Golf, according to multiple reports. The man is then moved towards a café and flicked inside of a door.

The Daily Mail published the advertisement in the video above. 

Some German outlets reported that the hand could be interpreted as supporting “White Power,” according to Reuters.   

The letters above the door read “Petit Colon,” which in French means “Little Colonist,” The Associated Press reported.

As the phrase “Der Neue Golf,” or “The New Golf,” fade on the screen, social media users pointed out that some of the letters can be read as a racial slur in German. 

“We fully understand the disgust and anger in response to the video. It is quite clear that this video is wrong and distasteful,” Volkswagen said in a statement to The Hill. “We firmly distance ourselves from the video and apologize sincerely. We will investigate how this could have happened – and draw the necessary consequences.”

The automaker, which was founded under the Nazi German regime, said that due to its history, it has been motivated to “position itself against all forms of racism, xenophobia and discrimination.”

“Many initiatives in the company and in our global workforce promote diversity, integration and unprejudiced cooperation,” Volkswagen added, the AP reported. “That makes it all the more annoying that we made this mistake.”