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In a surprise announcement, Volkswagen’s hard luck Phaeton appears set to return to America for a second act.
An updated version of the ultra-luxury sedan with the proletariat badge was introduced earlier this week at the Geneva Motor Show, but at the time, even we didn’t know that Volkswagen was planning to reintroduce the slow-selling saloon to our shores. The revelation was made public by VW spokesman Andreas Meurer during a recent conversation with Bloomberg News.
Now that we know that the Phaeton will be reborn in the U.S., it’s probably worth taking a second look at Volkswagen’s most expensive (and technologically gifted) product.
For 2008, the Phaeton receives a revised visage, including new headlamps, but the majority of its changes are under the skin. Europe will now get the option of a new V-6 TDI that generates 230 horsepower, and will maintain its trio of gasoline engines (V-6, V-8, W-12), but we’d be surprised to see anything other than the two higher-end gas powerplants return for the Phaeton’s Stateside encore.
Inside, new features like a revamped adaptive cruise control, “Side Assist lane change assistant,” and a (much-needed) new DVD-based navigation system are a few of the highlights.
To be fair, the Phaeton was never a bad car—in fact, it was a decidedly capable and stealthy cruiser. But given that the VW Group already has a range of similar-looking vehicles wearing a more prestigious label (read: Audi), it surprised few industry wags that the model quickly fell on hard times in America, only to lead to the car’s withdrawal prematurely.
So, what does VW have to do to turn around the Phaeton’s fortunes? Several things. For one, it has to make amends for its poor reliability and customer satisfaction scores if it ever hopes of being considered as a premium marque. Secondly, VW will have to do a better job of supporting the model by creating higher-profile advertising, and training dealership staff on how to keep high-end customers happy before, during, and after the sale.
A tall order, then.
An updated version of the ultra-luxury sedan with the proletariat badge was introduced earlier this week at the Geneva Motor Show, but at the time, even we didn’t know that Volkswagen was planning to reintroduce the slow-selling saloon to our shores. The revelation was made public by VW spokesman Andreas Meurer during a recent conversation with Bloomberg News.
Now that we know that the Phaeton will be reborn in the U.S., it’s probably worth taking a second look at Volkswagen’s most expensive (and technologically gifted) product.
For 2008, the Phaeton receives a revised visage, including new headlamps, but the majority of its changes are under the skin. Europe will now get the option of a new V-6 TDI that generates 230 horsepower, and will maintain its trio of gasoline engines (V-6, V-8, W-12), but we’d be surprised to see anything other than the two higher-end gas powerplants return for the Phaeton’s Stateside encore.
Inside, new features like a revamped adaptive cruise control, “Side Assist lane change assistant,” and a (much-needed) new DVD-based navigation system are a few of the highlights.
To be fair, the Phaeton was never a bad car—in fact, it was a decidedly capable and stealthy cruiser. But given that the VW Group already has a range of similar-looking vehicles wearing a more prestigious label (read: Audi), it surprised few industry wags that the model quickly fell on hard times in America, only to lead to the car’s withdrawal prematurely.
So, what does VW have to do to turn around the Phaeton’s fortunes? Several things. For one, it has to make amends for its poor reliability and customer satisfaction scores if it ever hopes of being considered as a premium marque. Secondly, VW will have to do a better job of supporting the model by creating higher-profile advertising, and training dealership staff on how to keep high-end customers happy before, during, and after the sale.
A tall order, then.
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