http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1837641

i dont know if this has been posted here before, if not, then enjoy, so amazing :banana::cheers:

neat

but didn't VW stop making that car?

and they rebranded it as an Audi A8?

as people couldn't imagine paying over $100,000 for a VW

are you sure they are not being produced anymore :no: they are not common on the streets of london, however i did see them more often in Paris when i was there few months ago. regardless of what people say, the phaeton is an excellent car

The car is still produced and it is not rebranded to be an Audi ;).

Interesting fact: The parts for the factory are delivered by Tram.

They can't just simply rebrand the car as it would heavily damage Audi's image.
The Phaeton is a great car (even compared to its competitors Audi A8, BMW 7 series and Mercedes S-class), the only (but huge) problem is that VW lacks the image to be successful in the luxury sedan segment...

i think it was for north america only ;)

they were released here but didn't sell too well

wikipedia

The Volkswagen Phaeton (pronounced "fay-ton") is a large luxury sedan manufactured by German car manufacturer Volkswagen. It was introduced at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show, and is currently marketed in Europe and other countries worldwide. The Phaeton was sold in North America in the 2004 through 2006 model years, after which it was withdrawn due to poor sales.


VW owns Audi A8 and they share a lot of things so they decided to quit the VW and just focus on the A8 for north america

VW owns Audi A8 and they share a lot of things so they decided to quit the VW and just focus on the A8 for north america

Which makes sense. Audi is a fantastic brand.

I rate VW pretty highly as a brand too, especially when compared to cars in a similar price bracket. My Grandfather owned nothing but VW's for the whole of his life since his first car and swore by them. He only ever owned 4 cars in his lifetime (and he got his first car very early too).

I'd rather drive away in a VW than a Ford, Vauxhall (GM) etc.

Volkswagen Group own Audi along with lots of other companies, like Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Bentley, Bugatti, SEAT, Skoda, Lamborghini, but Porsche own over 35% of the Volkswagen Group. The 2009 Phaeton will be sold in North America. It shares parts with the A8, Bentley Continental GT and Bentley Continental Flying Spur. Its likely a very good car but suffers because of the badge and price.

yes I was reading in a blog that they are gonna give another try for the North American market with the new year

The Audi A8 and VW Phaeton are very similar vehicles(VW owns Audi), but the Phaeton didn't sell well in the United States. Because of that they quite selling them in North America. You can still buy a brand new Phaeton just about everywhere else, however.

The Audi A8 and VW Phaeton are very similar vehicles(VW owns Audi), but the Phaeton didn't sell well in the United States. Because of that they quite selling them in North America. You can still buy a brand new Phaeton just about everywhere else, however.

The AUDI A8 and VW Phaeton are very DIFFERENT vehicles: the A8 is on aluminum space frame chassis and aluminum body, while the Phaeton has a standard reinforced steel chassis and steel, aluminum and plastic body panels.

On the other hand VW Phaeton is almost the same car as BENTLEY Continental GT and Flying Spur.

The AUDI A8 and VW Phaeton are very DIFFERENT vehicles: the A8 is on aluminum space frame chassis and aluminum body, while the Phaeton has a standard reinforced steel chassis and steel, aluminum and plastic body panels.

On the other hand VW Phaeton is almost the same car as BENTLEY Continental GT and Flying Spur.

we know that

but what happenned is VW who owns AUDI... could not sell a $100,000 Volkswagen in north america - VW is seen as a low price brand - even though most of its cars are pricey - the preception is its a low end type of brand

so North Americans could not imagine spending $100,000 on a VW hence why it failed

so they decided to rather focus on selling the Audi A8 in the category that was left by the removal of the VW Phaeton, to the marketplace since North Americans would pay $100,000 for an Audi as its seen as a more luxury brand than VW...

No one can sell a $100,000 car in the USA now even with a top brand on the front. There are car parks full of Mercs and BMWs in ports on the East Coast which no one wants even with massive discounts.

the Vw Phaeton factory is simply out of this world, wow !! :nuts:

sorry to restart this thread from the dead, i came across it as i was looking for 'Ask the Tubeman' topic, because i wanted to ask tubeman about the ripp off single journey price i paid today :mad: the tube prices and busses went up 20% what a robbery :mad:

still havent found that 'ask the tubeman' topic :mad:

Beautiful factory