Volkswagen reveals stillborn second-generation Phaeton flagship

When BMW launched the 3 Collection Compact and Mercedes-Benz introduced the A-Class in the 1990s, it was viewed as a direct danger on a segment typically held by the Volkswagen Golf.

In reaction, Volkswagen Team chairman Ferdinand Piëch decided to move in on territory typically held by BMW and Mercedes-Benz – large luxurious sedans.

Though Australia by no means been given the vehicle, the Phaeton – based on the very same system as the Audi A8, Bentley Continental GT, and Porsche Panamera – been given mixed reviews, and profits under no circumstances very achieved expectations.

As component of the 20th anniversary of the start of the Volkswagen Phaeton, the German vehicle huge has discovered the second-generation of the model that never was – a motor vehicle that was cancelled at the 11th hour.

Considerably less than a 12 months just after the diesel emissions scandal known as ‘Dieselgate’ grew to become worldwide news, Volkswagen’s Supervisory Board produced the conclusion to concentration the company’s attempts on electric powered cars, and the selection to cancel the Phaeton was built just ahead of the car or truck started output.

This “near-sequence prototype” was created by Volkswagen’s engineers as the Phaeton edged nearer to its community launch, exhibiting off a handsome and innovative exterior design and style with really tight panel gaps and a significant stage of detail.

Inside is probably far more interesting – the Phaeton was set to debut a curved screen, a aspect that was at some point introduced on the third-generation Touareg in 2018 as the ‘Innovision Cockpit’.

Picket panels protected the electricity-opening air conditioning vents, whilst thick glass served to insulate the inside versus wind sound. It was a luxurious saloon designed to be a worthy option to the BMW 7 Sequence and Mercedes-Benz S-Course.

When Volkswagen made the decision not to progress with the next-technology Phaeton, the product proved the carmaker could generate high quality automobiles, ultimately paving the way for the Touareg and Arteon.