Flop Phaeton Might Not Be Back

[coolcaddy]

Flop Phaeton Might Not Be Back

Extremely slow sales of the Volkswagen Phaeton have VW officials wondering whether it's worth bringing the car back to the States for another year of sales. In a recent interview in Britain's Car magazine, Volkswagen AG chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder said, "The Phaeton fails to sell because it is not distinctive enough." The $65,000 sedan has been criticized for looking too similar to the Audi A8, and even in Europe sales are sluggish. Pischetsrieder tells Car that the next Phaeton "will definitely not be a normal saloon." In the meantime, insiders are saying that the Phaeton may not be exported to the U.S. next year if sales don't rise.

(Source: Edmunds.com e-mail news alert)

[SUPERBADD75]

i wondered about the wisdom of the Phaeton. it's a beautiful car inside and out, but throwing it out there against VWAG's own A8 didn't seem to be a good idea. besides, how many people think of buying a 70 to 80k VW? it's worth the dough, but nobody looks past the emblem, and sometimes that's all it takes... the right emblem.

[usa1]

Maybe when Audi complete their ugly gaping mouth restlying in the next couple of years the Phaeton's sales will increase. I certainly would not consider a new Audi with those horrible front ends.

Mark

[Buick61]

All of that money spent on the new factory in Dresden, and on developing the car could have gone to fixing the dismal quality rankings of the mainstream VWs and to bringing out restyled products quicker. The bloom is definitely off the rose at VeeDoubleU

[gmmerc5]

A company like VW have came back from dismal past (80'& 90') like they had, you would think they have learn something from their past plus the badge engineering from other auto makers, it goes to show no matter how good they are in the pass, the smart guys still can make mistake.

[powervette]

Originally posted by coolcaddy@Jul 16 2004, 06:45 PM
criticized for looking too similar to the Audi A8,

:lol:
The real reason of the flop is that Phateon is similar not to Audi but to Skoda Superb which costs 4 times less!

[PURPLEIMPALA]

VW could re-badge it as a Rolls-Royce (or is it Bentley ?). Seriously, they should be content with the segment that vW plays in (mass-produced small cars). They have their other brands (and shouldn't be blurring their images this way. Images take years or decades to establish. Re-making an image as Cadillac is doing is positive because they are staying in their established segment (high-dollar). Remember when they tried to fool their customers with that *Cinnamon* or *Pinto* or whatever it was ? I also remember a Lincoln called the Veinerschnitzel or some other Eurotrash name.

[mgescuro]

Originally posted by powervette+Jul 16 2004, 03:54 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (powervette @ Jul 16 2004, 03:54 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-coolcaddy@Jul 16 2004, 06:45 PM
criticized for looking too similar to the Audi A8,

:lol:
The real reason of the flop is that Phateon is similar not to Audi but to Skoda Superb which costs 4 times less! [/b][/quote]
THe Superb is based on the Passat... a rebadge of the Passat actually.
The A8/Phaeton/COntinental aren't based on the Passat platform, are they??

HEre's a picture of a Superb I took when I was in teh Czech Republic last summer.

The Superb

[tgagneguam]

I'm actually pleased that Piech was caught up in moving VW upmarket. VW diverted limited resources to developing a flop while neglecting core products like the fifth(?) generation Golf. Fortunately, GM has an appealing alternative to the Golf in the form of the strong-selling Astra.

Thank you, Dr. Piech. Your timing is impeccable.

[desmo9]

Originally posted by tgagneguam@Jul 17 2004, 03:24 AM
Fortunately, GM has an appealing alternative to the Golf in the form of the strong-selling Astra.

And what's our only option in the U.S?

VW Golf.

Or Saturn Ion, if that type of thing floats your boat. Funny, I and many an auto enthusiast I've spoken to would be happy to own an Astra or a Vectra... but few would touch a Malibu or Ion, and Cobalt remains to be seen.

What's this tell us about GM?

[Bucch89]

Originally posted by SUPERBADD75@Jul 16 2004, 06:49 PM
i wondered about the wisdom of the Phaeton. it's a beautiful car inside and out, but throwing it out there against VWAG's own A8 didn't seem to be a good idea. besides, how many people think of buying a 70 to 80k VW? it's worth the dough, but nobody looks past the emblem, and sometimes that's all it takes... the right emblem.

[quote]

Just because Volkswagen is known for making affordable cars doesn't mean that they can't add a more expensive model to their lineup. Dodge has the Neon for around $12k and the Viper SRT-10 for over $80k. The real issue is the fact that the Phaeton doesn't stand out. For $60k+ people aren't interested in a bloated Passat. Even though it may be a great car, it needs a design that differs from other cars like it. When VW does that, people will buy the Phaeton regardless of the VW badges on it.

[powervette]

Originally posted by mgescuro@Jul 17 2004, 12:00 AM
The A8/Phaeton/COntinental aren't based on the Passat platform, are they??

No they aren't but all of the VW group limousines look very similar

[AndrewGS]

I knew the Phaeton was a bad idea for North America. We're too badge-consious, or shallow to be frank. It's an amazing car, more on par with the Mercedes S-Class and Audi A8, but with a clean, simple European design. The problem? The A8 and the S430 are close in price, so why not pick the Mercedes or Audi over a Volkswagen?

Another slow seller is the great Touareg. The Touareg is a real SUV with real capabilities, both on-road and off, as well as performance and luxury associated with BMW, Mercedes, etc. Hopefully the plans to bring the amazing V10 TDi over haven't been scrapped, with decent economy coupled with the capabilities it has it could be a great seller if it's marketed right.

[atomicshark]

This is not your father's "People's Car"

[tgagneguam]

Originally posted by desmo9@Jul 17 2004, 03:41 AM
And what's our only option in the U.S?

VW Golf.

Or Saturn Ion, if that type of thing floats your boat. Funny, I and many an auto enthusiast I've spoken to would be happy to own an Astra or a Vectra... but few would touch a Malibu or Ion, and Cobalt remains to be seen.

What's this tell us about GM?

Alas, you're right, we don't have a compelling option in the US. I actually prefer the more upscale design of the Astra than the Cobalt, though admittedly I have not ventured to Europe since the new Astra was born and cannot say that with 100% certainty. And somehow the Vectra comes off better than the Malibu, too.

I still think the point is valid: Piech's forays into the luxury arena have come at the expense of maintaining the bread-and-butter cars of the VW line (and that's perfectly fine by me). There's nothing wrong with expanding your model range, per se. But when it comes at the expense of your established vehicles, as has been the case with VW, then there's a problem.

This point is maintained irrespective of what GM does well or incorrectly.