Volkswagen this weekend rejected a report by Germany’s Leipziger Volkszeitung that the automaker was considering selling off its Lamborghini and Bugatti brands. A company spokesperson told Dow Jones Newswires the rumors are “nonsense” and that VW is also not planning to stop production of the Phaeton sedan, as the report had suggested. Late last year, VW pulled the Phaeton from the U.S. market.
New car price quote
Zero obligation price quote from a trusted local dealer.
06/12, 10:33 AM
posted by:
Drummer
They should really just get rid of the Phaeton, and Bugatti, because they are loosing lots of money on both of them,. But they need to keep Lambo, because it makes money, and provides powerfull engines for Audi’s cars.
06/12, 10:59 AM
posted by:
Ed
The Phaeton was the answer to a question no one asked. Although beautifully crafted and extremely luxurious, why bother building it when the A8 already filled that position by a brand with a better reputation for building luxury cars instead of people’s cars. Anyone at VW who did not see this car as an utter failure before it arrived on US shores should not be working in an automotive company.
06/12, 11:35 AM
posted by:
Ed
True, but in the buyers’ eyes, VW still stands for affordable cars. The Passat V8 was a miserable failure for that reason too, it went into an area where it was competing with more prestigious names. Rightly or wrongly, the Phaeton buyer expects a lot in return for his $70K and when he brings in his luxobarge to be serviced at a VW dealer (not exactly known for their excellent service), he will start to regret his decision to buy a Phaeton. Until VW can bring their level of satisfaction on all levels to that of a true luxury brand, it can forget about selling cars in that area.
06/12, 12:59 PM
posted by:
Jon
Bob,
VW was originally the KDF Wagen (best translation: “The Strength through Joy Wagen�) during the days of the 3rd Reich. After the war it became VW, which is meant as The People’s Car, i.e. a car that can be bought by the people, unlike Mercedes, for example. And yes, the original ‘people’ it was intended for were the German people, but since it sold worldwide and it is a listed company with stockholders from all over the world, I think the modern interpretation of calling it ‘People’s Car’ is correct.
Jon.
06/12, 1:38 PM
posted by:
Dav
i think that the Phaeton is the perfect choice for someone that wants an incredible luxury car that competes with the S-class and 7 series and XJ type, but for significantly less money. its the peoples car for the upper-middle class person. its just as nice as its competetors, but for less money. i thought it was a good move other than the dull styling.
06/12, 2:25 PM
posted by:
Jon
Dav,
The Audi A8 had a nicer interior (granted, the Phaeton had a great interior), a better nameplate, better service, better dealer attention, and better design, as well the cost truly, was negligible compared to the Phaeton.
Jon.
06/12, 4:12 PM
posted by:
Zan
I own a VW and I love Audi, but My local VW dealer is connected to the Audi dealer and you get the same crappy service at Audi that you do at VW here. So I am not sue about this great service you will get if you bought an A8.
More to the point I agree that is seems odd for VW to compete with Audi. Thats liek Toyota building a car to compete with Lexus it does nto make very good business sense to me.
06/12, 8:43 PM
posted by:
Anonymous
I own an A8, and I get great service. The only problem is the frequency that service is required…
06/13, 8:44 AM
posted by:
1c3d0g
#13: quit spamming the comments section with your useless rants.