Check out the plant where VW builds the Phaeton:
Pics:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1837641

The factory, called ”The Transparent Factory” also has it’s own website:
http://www.glaesernemanufaktur.de

Obviously, VW is not making any money building Phaetons at this plant since sales for that model are so low. But they’d have to sell an ureasonable amount of Phaetons to justify this plant’s existence... This is one of former chairman Piech’s big expenditures that defy all business logic... This is how you build a plant when money is no object and productivity is not a concern.

 

HOLY CRAP!


That is Crazy!

 

Wow! Thanks for the links. That's awesome. I cant wait to show my girlfriend the wanna-be architect.

 

That's awesome. Great post!

 

No wonder VW are so damn expensive.

 

The Phaeton is one of the biggest automotive flops in history. If it were Ford or GM the media would be all over it.

 

I've seen 4 or 5 of them, mostly dark blue or black, and one silver one. Didn't see any W12 badges, so they must've been V-8's, which puts out "Hemi" power levels, just about. 335 HP....

That'll whisk you right down the road. I think the w12 is in the big V-Dubber is in the league of Bimmer's 6.0L and Mercedes 6.0L V-12's putting out 438 HP and 389 - 469 respectively.

Now, Merc has a CL65, SL65 and S65 putting out like 612HP...

That's overkill like a *****, but I'd love to have one...

 

The media was all over it when it was first announced. They rightfully predicted it was a ridiculous idea. I guess they don't want to say "I told you so" since they predicted it on the front-end.

 

It's a great car, but too small on the inside. I had to cross it off my shopping list thanks to the uber small cabin. What a waste.

 

It's a flop because it has VW in the grill. They're a kick **** automobile company, and the Phaeton is an awesome car, but VW is a joke in the US. (Beetle, New Beetle, Jetta, etc..) Names are key too- in the uber-luxury section, they go by Alpha-numeric designations. (LS430, Q45, M45, S500, 745Li, A-8, S-8, XJ-R) This should have happened as well...

If VW had created a luxury brand (IE, what Toyota did by creating Lexus, Nissan/Infiniti, Honda/Acura) it would sell like hotcakes..

If the same car as the BMW 945Li V-8 & W-12, they couldn't build them fast enough. We American's are "Label ******". It's all about the name on the product...

Many of us are uneducated too- most Acura, Infiniti and Lexus owners would be shocked to know they are really driving Honda's, Nissans and Toyota's, regardless of what the badge says.

 

Correct. But it's mainly because of VW's quality problems of the last 3 years.

 

Not exactly. They haven't been trumpeting it.

 

Actually, they do have a lux brand. It's Audi. And Bently on the high end. You'll find lot of shared technology amongst these brands.

The Phaeton uses the same platform as the A8, another fine car. Which is why most folks just buy the Audi. But Audi doesn't have the same brand value that Mercedes-Benz & BMW have, at least here in the US... Audi's brand is a bit stronger in Europe.

A lot of it has to do with the dealer experience. VW dealers don't know how to treat customers who buy $70K cars. Heck, they have a hard time keeping their regular customers happy.

 

Within the industry, it's still seen as a huge mistake. You still see it ridiculed from time to time. But I think it's generally become akin to kicking a dead horse.

 

If VW offered it for $49,900 and it only came with the W8 from the Passat and the Phateon's V-8 as an upgrade; they'd be selling a lot more..

MT didn't think VW could pull that off in the US (In thinly veiled statements)... They were right.

Indeed, it seems all the European brands will collaborate when need be, for a superior product...

Imagine if GM, Ford & Dodge put their heads together for a light duty truck, and shared the profits...

Ford build quality, Dodge Power & Speed, and Chevy's er, Money. What a ride, what a ride...