VOLKSWAGEN PHAETON

The 'Volkswagen Phaeton' (pronounced "fay-ton") is a large luxury sedan manufactured by Volkswagen. It serves as the flagship of the Volkswagen line-up, competing with other high-end flagship sedans such as the Audi A8, Jaguar XJ, BMW 7 Series, Lexus LS460, and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. It presumably takes its name from Phaëton, the son of Helios in Greek mythology, or harkens back to the early days of automobile production, in which the phaeton body was a recognized class of vehicles.

Contents

Overview

Models available

Powertrain

American market

Awards

Trivia

References

External links

Overview

The Phaeton was the idea of Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piëch, who perceived the addition of such a flagship as a means to burnish the Volkswagen brand. Ferdinand Piëch wanted VW engineers to create a car that would overwhelmingly surpass the prestige market leaders, Mercedes Benz and BMW. The decision to release the Phaeton was, in part, a response to Mercedes' decision to compete directly with VW in the low end A-Class marketplace in Europe.
Initial development of the Phaeton began with Piëch giving his engineers a list of ten parameters the car needed to fulfill. Most of these specifications are not known to the public, but the motoring show ''Top Gear'' reported one of them: that one ought to be able to drive the Phaeton all day at 186 miles per hour (300 km/h) when the exterior temperature is 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50°C), and the climate control system should not let the interior temperature rise above 71.6 degrees (22°C). Piëch requested this despite the Phaeton's top speed being electronically limited to 155 mph (250 km/h).
The Phaeton's platform, the D3 platform, is shared with the Bentley Continental GT and Bentley Continental Flying Spur. Certain systems such as the transmission and some engines are shared with the Audi A8.
As of 2005, the Phaeton has the longest wheelbase in the Volkswagen passenger line.
The Phaeton is hand-assembled in a distinctive eco-friendly factory with a glass exterior, the Gläserne Manufaktur in Dresden, Germany. This factory also assembled the Bentley Continental Flying Spur until October 2006, when assembly of the Bentley was transferred to Crewe, England.
In the UK, Phaeton sales have been disappointing as buyers prefer premium brands such as BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz.

Models available

★ V6 & V6 TDI

★ V6 LWB (Long Wheelbase)

★ V8 LWB

★ V10 TDI

★ W12 LWB

Powertrain

As of 2007, the Phaeton is available with the following engines:

Displacement	Power output	Torque	0-100 km/h	Top speed
Petrol/Gasoline
3.2 L (3189 cc) V6	177 kW (241 bhp)	315 nm (232 ft­·lbf)	9.4 s 4-seat: 9.7 s LWB: 9.7 s 4-seat LWB: 9.9 s	239 km/h (149 mph)
4.2 L (4172 cc) V8	246 kW (335 bhp)	430 nm (317 ft­·lbf)	6.5 s	250 km/h (155 mph) (Limited)
6.0 L (5998 cc) W12	331 kW (450 bhp)	560 nm (413 ft­·lbf)	5.0 s	250 km/h (155 mph) (Limited)
Diesel (not on the U.S. Market)
3.0 L (2967 cc) V6	165 kW (225 bhp)	450 nm (332 ft­·lbf)	8.8 s 4-seat: 9.1 s	234 km/h (145 mph)
5.0 L (4852 cc) V10	230 kW (313 bhp)	750 nm (550 ft­·lbf)	6.9 s	250 km/h (155 mph) (Limited)

Only the 4.2 L and 6.0 L gasoline (petrol) engines were available in the United States and Canada (2003-2006MY). All Phaetons shipped to the United States and Canada were electronically limited to a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).
The 3.2 L V6, 4.2 L V8, and 6.0 L W12 engines are all available in short wheelbase and long wheelbase versions with 4Motion permanent all wheel drive as standard. The V8 models have a 6-speed automatic transmission, and the W12 models have a 5-speed automatic. The 3.0 L V6 TDI is only available in short wheelbase configuration with a 6-speed automatic and 4Motion.
The Phaeton also features an advanced traction control system, anti-lock brakes, electronic differential lock (EDL), engine braking control (EBC), electronic brake distribution (EBD), and electronic stability program (ESP) with brake assist.
Note: The electronic differential lock (EDL) employed by Volkswagen is not - as the name suggests - a differential lock at all. Sensors monitor wheel speeds, and if one is rotating substantially faster than the other (i.e. slipping) the EDL system momentarily brakes it. This effectively transfers all the power to the other wheels.^[1]

American market

Much like its older cousin, the Passat W8, The Phaeton has not sold well since entering the United States in 2004, due to many problems and consistent breakdowns. 1,433 Phaetons were sold in 2004 after Volkswagen responded to initial sales by offering a US$10,000 buyer incentive. Just 820 were sold in the United States in all of 2005, leading the company to announce that sales in the American market would end after the 2006 model year. The rare W12 models have been held on to by niche collectors and are harder to find in the used car marketplace.
The Phaeton has made a bit of a rebound in the Certified VW marketplace, much to the dismay of those who purchased a Phaeton new, due to poor resale value, an oddity for Volkswagen, but a blessing in disguise for VW enthusiasts who could not afford the car off the showroom floor. In the Chicago market, for example, as of June, 2007, according to VW dealer sites, a V8 Phaeton sells (depending on miles and condition) around $30,000 to $35,000, a nearly 60% drop from its original MSRP. It also helps that the vehicle features central air conditioning, 4-motion all wheel drive (not available on a competing car from BMW and an expensive option on a competing car from Mercedes-Benz), large front and rear cabins, and genuine woodtrims.
''Car and Driver'' reported in October 2006 that Volkswagen had discontinued the Phaeton in the North American markets due to insufficient sales and dealer image issues.
Other reasons for the Phaeton's initial demise in these markets was the hefty price tag, which was in part due to currency fluctuations. This put it in competition with luxury sedans that were already well established in the American market, such as the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. VWOA did what it could to train its sales force to be ready for the car, and ready for the new "high-line" clients that would now be hitting the showrooms floor, but VWOA also chose to let the Phaeton release with minimal support and virtually zero advertising budget above the dealership level, in an attempt to gauge what normal sales would be. Although the first vehicles to hit showrooms were sold relatively quickly, many for far over the MSRP, though this initial surge quickly was quelled and sales were slowly dwindling down to the rare few. Dealers were stuck with more than one or two Phaetons in stock were finding heavy stress on the retail floorplan and demanded support from VWOA, which came in the form of a $10,000 dealer cash and over $5,000 in other incentives. This spurred on a mini-revival, which lasted a few months, but the Phaeton was unable to overcome the fact that the VW symbol was on the front of the vehicle, and ended in the USA in 2006.
In March 2007, after significant changes in the company's leadership and the return of Dr. Piech's influence, the car (since refreshed for the European market) was reported as slated to eventually return to the American market.

Awards

During its launch in 2004 the V8 model won Inspiring Men Magazine's best sedan of the year award.

Trivia

★ The Volkswagen Phaeton is one of the cars in the game .

★ Volkswagen has registered 100 patents on various innovations in the Phaeton. One such patent is for the 4-Zone Climatic Air Conditioner, which allows a separate temperature for each quarter of the vehicle, and is draft-free.

★ The Phaeton has a drag co-efficient rating of 0.31.

★ The Prime Minister of Portugal, the Pope, and North Korean officials are all chauffeured in Phaetons as was former Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schröder. He also received the very first Phaeton in 2002, when he opened the factory in which the cars are built. His first use of the car was at the World Trade Conference in New York City in 2002.

★ Taiwan’s leading motoring magazine, "Car Magazine" awarded the 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton the title of "Taiwan’s best luxury sedan".^[2]

★ The 25,000th Phaeton was built in early September 2006; half of all Phaetons are sold in Germany, (13,108 up to November 2006).

★ Pope Benedict XVI was given a new Phaeton W12 by Volkswagen in October 2006.

★ The Government of Hong Kong replaced its E38 BMW 7 Series fleet with 35 3.2L V6 Phaetons in October 2006, and has listed it as one of the environmentally friendly private cars and enjoy a tax incentive on the first registration tax.^[3]

★ With the speed limiter removed, the 6.0 W12 Phaeton can reach a top speed of 201 mph (323 km/h) as attested by Jeremy Clarkson of ''Top Gear''. Clarkson said that it was "totally smooth and stable" even at that speed, and that even at 201 mph, he "still could not hear the engine."^[4]

References

1. VAG four-wheel drive systems and brand names
2. Volkswagen Phaeton moving ahead
3. Tax Incentives for Environmentally-Friendly Petrol Powered Cars, Environmental Protection Department, The Government of Hong Kong SAR
4. Youtube video of Jeremy Clarkson's Phaeton Review on Top Gear

External links

★ Phaeton Website UK

★ The Transparent Factory Official Website

★ Car and Driver Review