Volkswagen boosted deliveries of its top-of-the-line Phaeton luxury saloon to customers in Europe by a fifth in the first five months of the year, and, in a signal that its luxury strategy may finally be starting to pay off, a spokesman told Reuters that the company couldn’t keep up with demand for the model.
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The news agency noted that VW recently raised the output of its W12 Phaeton, the most powerful version, to 450 hp from 420 hp, and also offers versions equipped with V6 and V8 petrol engines and V6 and V10 turbodiesels [badged ‘TDI’].
German motor vehicles department KBA on Tuesday reported that first-half new Phaeton registrations rose by 31.1% to 1,648 cars, thanks to a 44.4% gain in June alone, Reuters added.
Following previously disappointing sales of the Phaeton, a VW spokesman told the news agency that capacity was fully utilised thanks to a surge in demand for the entry-level V6 TDI, which retails in Germany for €60,480 ($US73,630) with tax, or nearly half that of the €106,000 W12 petrol version.
The V6 TDI Phaeton was launched in December last year, Reuters noted.
“Customers ordering a Phaeton now won’t receive it until 2006, and that’s why we’re looking into boosting capacity,” the spokesman said.
In his first media interview since becoming VW brand chief, Wolfgang Bernhard reportedly told Germany’s Der Spiegel that for now, he would continue with the brand’s strategy of trying to position itself more upmarket with models like the Phaeton.
Reuters noted that chief executive Bernd Pischetsrieder once criticised the car in an interview with the UK’s Car magazine, saying it “fails to sell because it is not distinctive enough”.
He reportedly said at the time that the next generation would definitely not be a classic saloon.
