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Has He Lost His Mind?: New U.S. VW Chief Wants To Bring Back The Phaeton!
Perhaps no Volkswagen model more embodies the company’s odd product strategy over the last decade more than the $75,000-$90,000 Phaeton sedan. The car, which VW chairman Ferdinand Piech developed to go up against the Mercedes S Class and BMW 7 Series, has been a flop in Europe and was discontinued in the U.S.

But Stefan Jacoby, the new CEO of Volkswagen of America, says he would like to see a second generation of Phaeton developed and for it to come back to the U.S. “It was a big mistake to drop the Phaeton,” he said.

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Has He Lost His Mind?: New U.S. VW Chief Wants To Bring Back The Phaeton!



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AlecAlec - 9/10/2007 12:01:53 PM
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Lets hope this new VW cheif will make this a better Phaeton.

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budfrogS4budfrogS4 - 9/10/2007 1:15:34 PMView My AgentSpace
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They're going to have to make it quite good to price it at that level. Not sure why they'd want to price it with the A8. IMO they should target the RL and/or GS.


StarStar - 9/10/2007 12:35:07 PM
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VW Phaeton offers a lot more than a similarly priced Lexus car plus it has a better brand image. Of course it will be a challenge to sell it in America because of publications like Consumer Reports that are working hard to improve Lexus image while bashing the German car makers but hopefully people will take a test drive with both these cars and see the huge difference in quality that favors the German brand.

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StarStar - 9/10/2007 3:40:06 PM
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Why? A Lexus freak like yourself cannot handle to hear the truth?


pushrod27pushrod27 - 9/10/2007 6:14:43 PM
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How can any Lexus fan be critical of another company's styling? Lexus design ranges from terminally boring, to questionably odd, to downright copies of other makers. If BMW styling is so uninspired, why does your precious toyolex complex feel the need to duplicate it in both the Camry and the Camry XL? (i.e. Lexus LS)
If 'a kidney grill on a box' was the totality of BMW styling, then where are all these other makers getting their flame surfacing, bangle butt trunks, and hoffmeister kinks from?

You are a moron. Lexus makes very nice, high quality cars and that's for sure. But your never ending passive-aggressive tirade against BMW is just senseless. You may not be able to see it, but there is a reason why people love BMWs. Maybe the reason isn't apparent to you. But you can bet your ass that Lexus is still buying BMWs, tearing them apart and reverse engineering them to capture some of the magic for themselves. So far they've been unsuccesful.


Will_Will_ - 9/10/2007 10:42:04 PM
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BMW could really benefit from buying a few Lexus and tearing them apart for research on how to put together a vehicle.


EnnNorakEnnNorak - 9/11/2007 9:11:01 AM
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I agree with you that VW has a better image, at least among car guys who see through Lexus' marketing hype. I would be proud to drive a Phaeton knowing that I got my money's worth instead of having people laugh at me for overpaying for a car just to get a fancy "L" on the grille.


Lem1972Lem1972 - 9/10/2007 12:56:58 PM
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The main problem with the Phaeton is that it looked like an overgrown Passat. If they do decide to bring it back, hopefully they've learned from their mistake and give the new car its own unique design.

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SpectatorSpectator - 9/10/2007 1:11:30 PM
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To true. A block away from where I used to live a guy own's a blue Phaeton and I I neve gave it another look until the one day he parked the car head in and I could see the tail. I thought I had been passing a Passat the whole time.

I know there is the whole concept of product continuity...but come on VW, you have to start making one model look at least slightly different than the rest. If you were to look at a golf (old golf), jetta, passat and phaeton head on...there is no discernable way to tell the difference between the vehicles. Talk about cookie cutter.

Audi has this problem a little bit (gee I wonder why)but at least they are not as bad as VW.


S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 9/10/2007 7:05:54 PMView My AgentSpace
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"Audi has this problem a little bit (gee I wonder why)but at least they are not as bad as VW."

And at least all of the Audis are designed to be LUXURY CARS, unlike the Passat vs. Phaeton.

I really admired the Phaeton's looks and its luxury (it did have road presence, and looked very stately), but there was just no reason to buy it over an A8L. What's another $3K?


EnnNorakEnnNorak - 9/11/2007 9:13:51 AM
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It has the overall VW corporate look. The differentiator is size. Size matters when it comes to comfort and luxury.


monkeyrunmonkeyrun - 9/10/2007 12:58:11 PM
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Phaeton is a great car.

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bmwdrvrbmwdrvr - 9/10/2007 12:59:06 PM
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i wonder there just doing this to spread the cost of development of the other cars that share the current phaetons chassis

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BenzW124BenzW124 - 9/10/2007 1:18:04 PM
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VW is a POS joke bran tht doesn desevr to be German. Let Tooyta buy VW

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crackityjonescrackityjones - 9/10/2007 1:59:32 PM
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We all need to remember that VW is the GM of Germany. They are a huge, stupid car maker with huge unions, even though they have a smallish-boutique image here. Their decisions in America rarely make sense, and their cars are boring.

They've had years to figure out the American market. But they apparently have more money to burn.

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SpectatorSpectator - 9/10/2007 2:25:16 PM
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Of course who could blame VW for not figuring out the American market...apparently the Domestic Big 3 couldn't do that either.

Are Americans that hard to figure out?

Here is a quick list of what we Americans want:

More power - Yes
Less weight - Yes
More fuel efficiancy - Yes
Better Handling - Yes
Sporty Styling - Yes
No Chrome - Yes
No Plastic - Yes
Lower cost - Yes
An automatic transmition with more than 4 gears - Yes

And this goes for every make and model, be it CUV, car, minivan, etc...

I have a feeling this list would be quite similar to an Asian and European wish list as well.




StarStar - 9/10/2007 3:28:15 PM
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Here is the REAL list of what Americans want:

Cars that are recommended by Consumer Reports and JD Power (driving experience unimportant)
Powerful, large, heavy, bad handling cars with at least 7 seats
A big number of cup holders
Excessive use of chrome is very desirable
Automatic transmission in any type of car


S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 9/10/2007 7:10:04 PMView My AgentSpace
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"Their decisions in America rarely make sense, and their cars are boring."

Eh, I tend to disagree with the last statement. No, their American decisions don't make sense (and they wonder why they're still losing sales?), but their cars are definitely not boring. If they are, where does that put Toyota, Honda, Chevrolet and Hyundai?

All of them are offered with fun engines, styling that has real flair and luxurious interiors that belie their price tags. My personal favorites are the GTI five-door, Touareg V10 TDI and Passat R36. There's something about VWs that I just really like...


crackityjonescrackityjones - 9/10/2007 8:00:11 PM
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S4...

I agree with your overall sentiment. VW is a fun brand. But you have to admit the Jetta and Passat took a step backwards in their recent redesigns. The Passat is now a boat with boring driving dynamics (as told by a couple of recent 4-season tests) and the Jetta... enough said about that.

Di Silva has stated he hates the way the VWs currently look, borrowing the Audi front grille look. Except it's chrome-heavy and just really inelegant.

The R36 is not here in the States. The R32, on the other hand, is very econo-car looking, too rounded. The previous generation R32 was squarer and more appealing, even though it was a bit dated looking.

I own a VW, so I do like the brand. But they haven't done anything new in the last 3 years... Tiguan? that makes a driving enthusiast take note. Yes, the Iroc concept... but while they stand pat, other brands like Mazda keep improving their designs (like the 6) and are still value-oriented.

The bar for VW is higher because they are a great brand but I don't think they're meeting it at all these days, which makes the premium-car Phaeton talk doubly-ridiculous.


NeverfollowNeverfollow - 9/10/2007 3:57:23 PM
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Hey, the dude wants a car to drive. What, you want the big guy driving around in a Passat?

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 9/10/2007 7:11:17 PMView My AgentSpace
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No, how about an A8L W12, Bentley Flying Spur, Lamborghini Murciélago, Porsche Panamera or Bugatti Veyron? He has a lot to choose form, you know.


S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 9/10/2007 7:11:42 PMView My AgentSpace
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*From.


theoptimisticpessimisttheoptimisticpessimist - 9/10/2007 4:16:48 PM
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VW's biggest problem is the Phaeton name, it has become the Edsel of the new millennium. While a great car, the 100K VW had the industry wondering; is this a peoples car? Admonished by the ex-Audi exec, Confused and unprepared dealer network, and the worst resell value on any car in America. Best keep this great car home.

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sold2earlysold2early - 9/10/2007 6:53:20 PM
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Sounds like a classic case of an arrogant executive trying to succeed where his predecessor failed.

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PorschinatorPorschinator - 9/10/2007 8:06:09 PM
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What some of you said...Phaeton failed because it looks like a limo sized Passat. It is actually a very competant as a luxo car just bland design for the price. I have been in one and it rivals the MB S, Lexus LS, and BMW 7. Looks better in person but def needs to be changed with a new line up.

Hey Spectator..I believe that list of yours is what any auto buyers want. lol

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BimmerFanBimmerFan - 9/10/2007 9:04:18 PM
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Is Jacoby smoking crack?

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BMW995BMW995 - 9/10/2007 10:35:03 PM
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Not only was the Phaeton discontinued, but it seems Jacoby needs to be discontinued also. Why does the VW board keep this guy on?
A luxury sedan that weighs 5000 lbs, not me!
Actually, one of the major auto mags did a performance comparison test of the Phaeton vs the MBenz S-Class. The S-Class broke down and the Phaeton was going strong after a real flogging.
So what do I know?

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EnnNorakEnnNorak - 9/11/2007 9:18:26 AM
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Heavy weight is good in lurury rides as it increases the sprung weight, thereby making bumps in the road less jarring on the passengers.


I95SPEEDINGTICKETSI95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 9/11/2007 2:53:08 AM
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The Phaeton is a Bloody Good Vehicle and if it were sporting a different Badge (MB, BMW) you guys would be defending it completely.

And another thing.

I cannot stand IDIOTS that make statements like "has been a flop in Europe" The vehicle was meant to show people that VW could make Large Luxury Vehicles that could Rival or beat BMW or MB at their game, it was never expected to generate a sales blitz (Why Do you Yanks think everything Revolves around Sales & Profits ?)

The same kind of thinking behind the Phaeton spawned the whole Bugatti Veyron targets

IMO
The Phaeton did exactly what it was suppossed to do, in a test when it was first launched most European Journalists stated is was Every Bit as Good & even Slightly Better than the 7-Series, S-Class, A8 & XJ8.

No wonder your Auto Manufacturers are in such Financial Trouble and have such a dreadful Product Lineup, their cars are designed by Accountants, "Just bolt together the cheapest parts you can find and then spend lots on hiring Celebrities to Market our Rubbish Products"

You can imagine if GM or Ford had purchased Bugatti, there would have been no Veyron, if they had purchased Lamborghini, no Murcielago, and maybe a rubbish version of Gallardo. God forbidthey got their hands on Bentley, I shudder at the thought of a GM or FORD authorised Bentley.

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