Next-gen Volkswagen Phaeton to bow in 2015
Senin, 16 April 2012
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The Phaeton lingered on in Europe and in other global markets, but for a long time it appeared that the car would die without leaving a heir.
Due to high demand on the Chinese market, Volkswagen built 11,166 Phaetons last year. That figure puts the car far behind its main German competitors, but it also marks an impressive sales increase of 50% over 2010.
Most of the cars built were powered by either a V6 or a V8 gasoline engine. The bulk of them were loaded long-wheelbase examples.
The Phaeton’s unexpected success means that it is now possible to make a realistic business case for the next generation of the sedan. Volkswagen already hinted at this last month, when a company insider revealed to Motor Trend that Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn wanted the next-gen Phaeton to be his legacy.
Germany’s Auto, Motor Und Sport reports that when the successor to the current Phaeton bows in 2015, it will share its modular longitudinal platform (MLP) with the Audi A8. Much like the current-generation, it will be aimed at well-off buyers who want a luxurious sedan that doesn’t draw an excessive amount of attention.
“The new one will have the same positioning [as the old one]: a straightforward sedan for the person who’s successful but doesn’t feel the need to show it. Volkswagen doesn’t change course between generations of a car. It’s always easier to keep the customers you have than to lose them and go find new ones,” explained a company insider.
The next Phaeton’s front end will reportedly borrow styling cues from the Cross Coupé Concept that bowed in Tokyo last fall, and the car will get bigger, with the short-wheelbase model expected to stretch no less than 196 inches long.
To increase the sedan’s green credentials, Volkswagen will drop big displacement engines in favor of smaller ones equipped with a turbocharger. Rumors circulating around the European media also claim that a plug-in hybrid drivetrain will be offered, although the automaker has yet to confirm this plan.
