Remember the Phaeton, the anduuml;ber luxury sedan that Volkswagen wanted the emperor in you to own? Despite the 'handcrafted luxury' claims form the German carmaker, the car failed miserably in India and was taken off the market in 2014. The car, however, has now got a successor, sort of, in the form of the Phideon at the ongoing Geneva Motor Show; but it's one that you won't be able to own as the car is made specifically for Chinese markets.
The entry of the Phideon in the Chinese markets has been scheduled for the third quarter of 2016. The car, which will be manufactured in China, has been designed completely in Germany, but the company says that a lot of input was given by its Chinese partner, SAIC Volkswagen. VW's new flagship car in China, the Phideon will be placed above the Volkswagen Passat and the Magotan.
It's to common knowledge that Chinese white collar executives have to get a vehicle slightly nicer than their direct report and not quite as nice as their supervisor. That's how you end up having a whole range of Audi cars in the Oriental nation. Audi cars have thus become commonplace in corporate China and Volkswagen is targeting the ultra-rich class of the country with the Phideon to stand out and make a statement.
It is the first Volkswagen to be built on its Modular Longitudinal Matrix (MLB) platform, just like the Audi A8. The 5050mm-long car has a wheelbase of 2997mm to ensure sufficient space to accommodate Phaeton-level of luxury with massaging seats, ambient light strips, and an air-suspension.
As for the powertrain, the sedan will come in two engine options andndash; a 3.0-liter turbo V6 in AWD trim and a less powerful front-wheel-drive model with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, given the large market size. The company from Wolfsburg has also said that it is working on a plug-in hybrid version of the car.
The entry of the car in Indian markets looks like an unlikely proposition as the car is specifically targeted for the Chinese. But then again, the Phaeton wasn't exactly a volume seller either. Every carmaker wishes for a phoenix in their ranks and this might be VW's latest attempt at that.
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