There are only 330 units of the Premier Edition Phaeton W12 available around the world, and each of them has identical equipment levels, including a Piano Black paint scheme.It's not performance or equipment or style that's stopping Phaeton sales, analysts say, so much as suitability. Volkswagen famously means "people's car" in German and that definition doesn't seem to include a car this expensive, especially since there are a bunch of other models with more appeal to the self-indulgent consumers who shop in this category.
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| Even with a sticker price USD$23,000 below the European market car, Phaeton sales in the US have been very slow. (Photo: Volkswagen AG) |
Even VW's current chairman, Bernd Pischetsrieder, admits this is a problem, but he inherited this car from his predecessor and probably can't kill the Phaeton for at least a year.
The Phaeton disappointment comes at a bad time for the Wolfsburg-based firm, since sales of other models aren't going well, the recent euro-dollar exchange rate is eating badly into its profits, and the cost of retrofitting its Brazil operation has been great. As a result, the company said at the end of October than its profits were likely to drop by about 50 percent this year.
Early sales of Phaeton in the US have been very slow, even though VW has been forced to sticker the car for about US$23,000 less than it costs in Europe.
Whatever it costs, the Phaeton is certainly well equipped, coming as it does with all-wheel drive, an air suspension system with Electronic Damping Control, an upscale climate control system, Xenon high-intensity discharge headlamps, heated washer nozzles for the front windshield, courtesy entry-exit lights at all doors, an oversized sunroof, a premium AM/FM sound system, a glovebox-mounted six-disc CD changer, a power trunk lid, a HomeLink universal transmitter, an anti-theft keyfob, GM's OnStar telematics system, an anti-theft alarm system, and an integrated infotainment system.