Volkswagen plans to launch a new generation of Phaeton luxury sedan in two to three years, competing with the Mercedes-Benz S-class D-class luxury car. Despite the low sales volume of Phaeton and the loss of 2 billion euros to the public, the company is still prepared to stick to the project.
The next generation of Phaeton is ready to come out Foreign media recently disclosed that although the Volkswagen Phaeton is one of the most serious losses of contemporary bicycles, Volkswagen will still create a new generation (second generation) Phaeton. In particular, in order to reverse the decline in the US market, the public hopes to use the high-end image of Phaeton to improve consumers' impression of the brand.
The Volkswagen initiative has surprised many experts in the industry. From a financial background, the Volkswagen passenger car brand currently has a low profit margin and plans to cut costs by 5 billion euros by 2017. Although the Phaeton price of 76,000 euros (about 86,000 US dollars) is often regarded as the "pet project" of the chairman of the Volkswagen Supervisory Board, Ferdinand Piech, the sales volume is far less than expected, and caused losses; such a "burning money" model It has not been eliminated.
The Phaeton model began to be sold in Europe in 2002, when it was positioned to compete with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. At the beginning of the car's stage, the then Mercedes-Benz CEO Juergen Hubbert predicted: "The public is difficult to bear the cost of mass production of the Phaeton."
Volkswagen has invested heavily in Phaeton to create new production lines and R&D channels, so the cost is staggering. The sales of Phaeton have been low for a long time, which has caused serious losses. Phaeton's annual production and sales target is set at 50,000 units, but the highest year is only 11,000 units, and in 2013 it shrank to 5,813 units.
According to data provided by Shengbo's analyst Max Warburton, Phaeton caused a total loss of 1.99 billion euros from 2002 to 2013, ranking third in the contemporary models of various companies; the bicycle loss reached 28,101. EUR.
However, the recent news has brought the public's official determination to promote the next-generation Phaeton project. The new car will continue to compete with Mercedes-Benz's Mercedes-Benz S-class price of $80,920 and is expected to be delivered to dealers from 2017 to 2018.
According to IHS Automotive's forecast, Volkswagen Phaeton's annual global sales in 2015 may reach 6,300 units, and between 2017 and 2020, it may increase to 11,900 units. Although the sales volume of Phaeton is expected to rise sharply, it is still significantly lower than that of the Mercedes-Benz BMW Audi D-class flagship. IHS predicts that Mercedes-Benz S-Class will continue to be the market leader, with annual sales of 85,000 units in 2017-2020, followed by BMW 7 Series, 64,000 units and Audi A8 41,000 units.
New car glimpse The first generation Phaeton is based on the Volkswagen Group D1 platform. The platform originally derived the Audi V8 from 1988 to 1994. In 2002, the Phaeton model was introduced. In 2004, it became the platform for Bentley Continental/Flying. The new generation of Phaeton will be derived from the engine longitudinal modular MLB (Modularer L?ngsbaukasten), which will be sold in the US and other markets under the name of 2018 or 2019 models.
People from the public said that the Phaeton will have a variety of high-performance engines, including a V8 TDI engine with a power output of approximately 450 hp and a plug-in hybrid system based on a V6 petrol engine with a total power of over 400 hp. . Volkswagen will continue to provide W12 cylinder engines for the top-of-the-line Phaeton, but may not supply the US market. The new Phaeton is expected to sell for around $70,000 in the United States.
In terms of eco-friendly models, the plug-in hybrid version of the second-generation Phaeton is also being planned.
Heinz-Jakob Neusser, head of Volkswagen R&D, pointed out that the new generation of Phaeton is of extraordinary significance and will play the flagship role of the Volkswagen brand with the highest technical content, enabling cutting-edge technology systems to be put into mass production and reducing the cost of new technologies through economies of scale. Used in popular models.
There are also views that in the US market, Volkswagen Passat and other models have fallen behind, and there is a need for newer products to boost the brand image.