Rendered speculation: VW Phaeton coupe
Although it came as a surprise to most (okay, all), Volkswagen plans to revive the Phaeton nameplate and possibly make a play for buyers of more high-budget coupes like the Mercedes SL. A few spy shots surfaced last month showing a test mule of VW's intentions, and although little was gleaned from the misshapen two-door, artists contracted by Automobile decided to take a whack at styling the Phaeton coupe in the virtual realm.Looking more like an Eos hopped up on a Barry Bonds cocktail, the stretched wheelbase and bulging fenders make an attempt to convey more luxurious pretenses. We say it fails to excite. But then again, neither did the original sedan, so it's keeping with tradition. What say you?
[Source: Automobile]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Gregg 9:07AM (8/07/2007)
From the side, it looks more than a little like the Lincoln MKR concept. I doubt that the grill rendering is right. VW is moving away from that huge chrome lips thing-y around the grill.
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Ligor 9:07AM (8/07/2007)
why not just a Passat Coupe?
they want SL territory $$ for this, it will flock.
even better, just leave it to Audi and call it an A7 coupe - i think as an A7 it might actually do well agaist the SL or BMW 6 series.
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John R 9:08AM (8/07/2007)
All though it may be quite a good car, the sedan, from what I understand was a total sales disaster. Hardly anyone was willing to pay that much for a VW. That coupled with the fact that VW is strugling to stay in the U.S. begs the question, do they really need to make this?
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Mike 9:45AM (8/07/2007)
Not to be Capt. Obvious but couldn't this just be a test mule for the upcoming A5 Coupe?
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John R 9:49AM (8/07/2007)
That car is already out:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=121924
It's a review of the S5.
Mike 9:56AM (8/07/2007)
Doesn't mean development and testing stops when a car hits the showroom floor...
All I'm saying is assuming this is a two door Phaeton is a bit presumptuous. Especially considering how much of a flop the car was, a coupe wouldn't help that model at all. VW must know this. Look at the body work on that mule, all it is made up of is off the shelf parts pasted together to make it drivable during testing. There is no new bodywork at all.
In my opinion this mule is just a test bed for a new/improved platform for an existing model. For what model? Who knows.
naggs 5:16PM (8/07/2007)
no reason to use a mule for a model that is already out, you would just use that model for further developement testing.
1337 10:00AM (8/07/2007)
So, Volkswagen went after the S-class with the Phaeton sedan. The S-class is high end, but it is mainstream compared to the slower selling, less practical CL-class coupe. So Volkswagen attempts to rebound a sales failure by aiming at an even SLOWER selling car. I like Volkswagen's products, but the Phaeton Coupe is a mistake waiting to happen.
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goat 10:19AM (8/07/2007)
Volkswagen is not a luxury brand. The last Phaeton failed, and this will as well.
What they should build is something sort of like the last Phaeton, but plainer, and less expensive.
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Nick 10:52AM (8/07/2007)
Truely all that needs to be said. Althought this is speculation as of now. But, this car is part of a larger problem that VW is dealing with.
This current strategy is causing VW of America to lose money hand over fist. Just cannot understand how, with their quality, they expect to survive in an upstream market. Further, they can do almost NOTHING to reverse the perception that they are a budget brand in this country. And they think that this car will work here...AGAIN???? Just, failure.
Milos Radulovic 11:00AM (8/07/2007)
"droopy eyes" headlights make it look like a Passat CC, and that's not going to work
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LiteWerk 12:39AM (8/08/2007)
Although it was not a car I could entertain the notion of purchasing new, I liked the sophisticated look of the luxurious Phaeton sedan. If they follow through with a different (coupe) version of the Phaeton, would suspect that they know that it will again be a low volume car. I get the sense that they're aiming for a "halo" car, as Chrysler considered doing with their proposed Imperial sedan.
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