Should They Or Shouldn't They? Volkswagen Considers Diesel Phaeton For US Market

I'm LOVING this car. True it was overpriced at $70K but that was when sedans everywhere price as such. When VW brings the car back to the market, it should cost starting around $45K and not rising beyond $65K with very unique design. The original Phaeton was bland but understatedly (my word) beautiful. VW can make this work. I'm in.

This car flopped worldwide not because of any technical shortcomings, but because no one wanted to pay $70,000 (V8) to $100,000 (V12) for a Volkswagen. The Audi A8 outsold the Phaeton both in the U.S. and The worldwide.

The Volkswagen marque should stick to what it does well - the mass market. Leave the luxury and super-luxury stuff to its Audi and Bentley marques, respectively. Such a strategy will minimize brand overlap and cannibalism.

GM hasnt gotten the memo

I think VW is has this problem more than GM, as they have multiple models that compete for the same buyer across different brands, at least GMs cars were desighned to appeal to different buyers.........

This car flopped worldwide not because of any technical shortcomings, but because no one wanted to pay $70,000 (V8) to $100,000 (V12) for a Volkswagen. _Audiophile

The Phaeton stills selling in numbers in Europe and increased sales is what has encouraged VW move to offer it again here. True the price was an issue, but this amazing car was misunderstood just like the A8. For years, Audi could only sell between 1500-2000 A8's per year. But hay more for me, I don't mind. The more exclusive the better.

The Phaeton didn't fail in the US market because it wasn't a diesel. The Phaeton didn't fail in the US market because it was not a nice car.

The Phaeton failed in the US market because most people don't "see" a $70-80,000 car with a VW badge on it.

Why VW is hellbent on doing this is beyond me. They already have their Audi brand in which to market high end vehicles. Trying to cannibalize their own Audi sales with the Phaeton is akin to Chevrolet building their own version of the Cadillac STS with a bowtie on it and trying to sell it for the same price.

Why? Because they are stupid and hardheaded.

+1 SteedPub. The A8 already lags behind others in the market even though it's an excellent vehicle, so why cannibalize? You would think that the VW group would learn from GM's mistakes, but they're going down the same path in search of being the biggest auto manufacturer. Toyota already learned that trying to be the biggest isn't the best.

No reason to bring it to the US. The old Phaeton was a bust cause for 70k you could go by a nice 5-series or loaded A6 or an A8 even. Personally I would have put the money for that car and gotten an S6 or M5. Little smaller but worlds better.

The Phaeton at 70-100k was just a joke, and all the auto reviews showed that it was a decent car, but who is going to pay 70k ples for a "people's car." There was no market for the Phaeton and they did nothing more than encroach on Audi A8 sales.

isn't the new Phaeton A6 based and a lot cheaper

Glad this question came up. The history and concept of this car will blow you away.

Initial development of the Phaeton began with Piëch giving his engineers a list of ten parameters the car needed to fulfill. Most of these specifications were not made known to the public, but a number of them were told to automotive reporters. One of them was that the Phaeton should be capable of being driven all day at 300 km/h (190 mph) with an exterior temperature of 50 °C (122 °F) whilst maintaining the interior temperature at 22 °C (72 °F). Piëch requested this even though the Phaeton's top speed was electronically limited to 250 km/h (160 mph).[1] Another requirement was that the car should possess torsional rigidity of 37,000 Nm/degree.

The Phaeton's platform, the Volkswagen Group D1 platform, is shared with the Bentley Continental GT and Bentley Continental Flying Spur.

Certain systems, such as the transmission and some engines, are also shared with the Audi A8. The D1 is a stand-alone platform, and was specifically developed for the Phaeton and Bentley under code name VW611. It is commonly confused with Audi's D3 platform, which is aluminium-based instead of the D1's steel platform.
As of 2005, the Phaeton has the longest wheelbase in the Volkswagen passenger car line.

The Phaeton is hand-assembled in an eco-friendly factory with a glass exterior, the Transparent Factory (German: Gläserne Manufaktur) in Dresden, Germany. This factory also assembled the Bentley Continental Flying Spur until October 2006, when assembly of the Bentley was transferred to Crewe, England.

Development of the vehicle led to over 100 individual patents specific to the Phaeton. Distinctive features include a draftless four-zone climate system, air compressor suspension system, standard 4motion four wheel drive, and the ability to select a preferred ride type from comfort to sport. With the Klavier Lack (piano lacquer) option, the vehicle is double-painted and sanded between the first and second paint application.

They should not consider the Phaeton for the U.S. market at all.

Every time I see a Phaeton, I wonder why couldn't they just spend a little more and get an A8.

They shouldn't. For all the above reasons.

This time it will flop as an overpriced oil burner. LOL