PHAETON ANALYSIS
i love volkswagens, but as much as it pains me, there is no question that the existance of the phaeton is a big mistake. now this is not to say that the car is crappy, (and notice not many folks claim that it is, even here) yet the concept that the public would buy it is nutso, and i already know most here agree. i think even v.w. knows its a marketing failure, seemingly they did’nt learn from the passat w8. both cars, though are great deals if you buy them used. an 03 w8 is going for about $25k, while a v6 glx is only about a grand or 2 less, retail. by that same token the v8 phaeton is going at about 40k – 45k for an 04 and 55k for a w12, with decent mileage, so that is a great deal. the non-monetary aspects of ownership of a phaeton are great, the vehicle has magnificent road mannerisms and is well built, nicely refined, uber-luxurious, user friendly, and well equipt (awd) for the $$$$’s. it’s just to many $$$$’s for the brand right now, so customers actually getting to the ownership stage is an unavoidable problem. even i, a huge vw advocate, would buy the 745 if i was inclined to pay $900 a month for a car, for no reason other than the propeller on the grille and a couple horseys, so i can’t be hypocritical and blame anyone else for that line of thought. its human nature, that why i wear nikes over new balance.
a better idea might have been to call it “”phaeton by volkswagen”" with the only vw symbol on the vehicle being under the hood and perhaps on the glovebox mounted cd changer, though even that might not have worked. i think pheaton is a great product, but i cant justify its existance any longer, and neither do the owners of most dealerships, other than maybe autobarn owner dick fisher. kills the hell out of the floorplan budget, and vw has no real scheduled maintenence another dagger to phaetons heart. i think wolfie and pietch know its time to pull the plug soon. even cadillac and infiniti have not dared to go with such an uber luxury sedan, seeing how the new nissan flagship, the “”infinity m”" is some 25 grand less than a phaeton, and caddy as well has not gone that high in pricing, (in a sedan, they have some pricy coupes) and they definitely could pull it off, so the fact that they have not tried says something for the small market.
as for the touareg, i know paul and some others dont like it being a v.w., but i stand behind that one 100%….if paul’s theory of the peoples car not having anything more pricy than a polo is correct, then isnt a pilot too pricy to be a honda? aren’t they also a value-based brand? why not make it an acura instead? isnt a tahoe too pricy to be a chevy, should it not have a caddilac emblem? the sequioa is basically the same as the lexus, why do that? well, nobody is complaining, and its is the same with touareg….hell an rx330 is about 4 grand more, and an x5 can hit the 75k mark. if you have issues with the v.w. touareg, a way nicer truck than those others, then you should have a similar issue with the volvo xc90. same demographic, same pricing, similar vehicle. yet the existance of the touareg is the only one that i ever hear scrutinized.
SPEAKING OF EXPENSIVE VW’S, NEXT ON THE DOCKET, A MERCEDES CLS 4 DOOR COUPE KNOCKOFF, WHICH WILL BE NICE, BUT VW WILL PRICE IT TOO HIGH. SHOULDA STUCK WITH THE CONCEPT R.
IN DEFENSE, IT TOOK LEXUS YEARS TO COMPETE WITH MERCEDES, AND NOW THEY ARE THE BENCHMARK FOR MERCEDES. HOWEVER, VW IS UP AGAINST THE WALL IN THIS PHILOSOPHY, EXAMPLE BEING THE VIPER, WHICH WAS SOLD OVERSEAS AS A CHRYSLER UNTIL A YEAR AGO, FOR NO OTHER REASON BUT BRAND-NAME STATUS. FUNNY TO THINK ABOUT IT, BUT A CORVETTE IS THE ONLY CAR I CAN THINK OF THAT IS AN EXCEPTION TO THIS RULE, WOULDN’T IT BE FUNNY IF THE VETTE WAS SOLD IN EUROPE AS A “”CADILLAC CORVETTE”".
funny, nobody has posted on the entire site in 3 days!!!! come on boys!
Post edited 08/20/05 5:48 PM by jasenm
Post edited 08/20/05 5:50 PM by jasenm
Post edited 08/21/05 12:15 AM by jasenm
Subscribe by RSS
297 Said,
August 22, 2005 @ 3:02 am
PHAETON ANALYSIS – I’d prefer VW went the way Volvo did (and successfully so) with the XC70. It doesn’t have to be a gas-guzzling view-blocking behemoth to get sold as an “”SUV”". That keeps in line with VW’s legacy.
Perhaps the cheaper model they announced will be something like that.
297 Said,
August 22, 2005 @ 4:36 am
PHAETON ANALYSIS – Polo! Polo! Polo!
you_moron Said,
August 22, 2005 @ 11:29 am
agre – I agree with jase 100% on this one. ***off topic*** I would have posted earlier but I just got back from vacation in Canada. *smiles* I came to a conclusion, Americans don’t need cars. They need to walk more, or ride bikes. Canadians are thin while americans are fat. ha
formerAuditech Said,
August 22, 2005 @ 12:33 pm
i agree with everything but……. – how is lexus the benchmark for Mercedes? i find that hard to believe. everything, and i mean everything lexus touts on their vehicles (their retractable hard top convertable, the auto lock and unlock system, their distance cruise control, etc…) Mercedes has had on their vehicles for at least five years (and even longer if you consider that most of their items appear on their euro models only before they bring it over). lexus isn’t pursuing perfection they are pursuing Mercedes. and i am sorry but a glorified Toyota (which is actually what they are sold as in the rest of the world, same model number minus the lexus name) is a glorifed toyota at the end of the day.
but i will agree with the above by jase….. i read about the phateon (sp)when it first came out and it all seemed pretty good and impressive….except where is the market for it? i mean they have the A8 already. VW needs to go back to it’s roots and quit trying to go after the high end market cause it will never be able to honestly hold a candle to those at the top. they need to be what they were, a people’s car then perhaps they could sell a few models……well do that and actually have the dealers back the product line.
jasenm Said,
August 26, 2005 @ 1:00 am
re’s; – auditech….”"how is lexus the benchmark for Mercedes?”" re; sales figures, styling, and to a degree reliability. did i mention sales figures? you are right it is a glorified toyota, i wont argue that.
paul….”"I’d prefer VW went the way Volvo did (and successfully so) with the XC70.”" re; the xc70 is not an suv, and they did do something like that, see passat glx wagon and audi allroad.
polo? again, sorry, move to europe, paul.
297 Said,
August 26, 2005 @ 4:48 am
PHAETON ANALYSIS – The XC70 and XC90 are Volvos response to SUVs (the XC90 definitely looks like an SUV, unfortunately).
Why should I move to Europe? With the way the price of gas is going, the SUV craze will finally die and we’ll see the same trend from gas-guzzling to economy cars that the 70s-80s displayed.
A new Polo (or a cheaper Golf) designed for economy rather than sport (i.e. GTI) would be exactly what this country will want.
297 Said,
August 26, 2005 @ 4:49 am
And by the way… – That’s pretty funny, jasenm. I can’t wait to show up in your showroom and ask, “”Why isn’t there a cheaper model than the Golf, like the Polo, here in the States?”" and you just come up with “”Polo? Sorry, move to Europe.”"
Good sale.
jasenm Said,
September 5, 2005 @ 10:17 am
never said – i wouldnt be a fan of a polo here, just that vw is not going to do it. we have the golf, and thats all they are going to do.
if you come to my showroom, ill show you a 325. im starting for a beamer dealer on sept 13.
297 Said,
September 6, 2005 @ 11:19 am
PHAETON ANALYSIS – I never liked BMW, but if that and the 3-series was my only option, I’d be looking at a 330, not a 325.