VW Puts $94,600 Price on Top-Line Phaeton

Excite ^ | 15 January 2004 | Reuters

[ShadowAce]

DETROIT (Reuters) - Volkswagen, the company long synonymous with the inexpensive Beetle, on Wednesday put a $94,600 price tag on ultra-luxury versions of its Phaeton sedan in the United States -- making it the highest-priced VW ever.

Europe's largest carmaker began selling a 335-horsepower V8 version of the Phaeton last November at a price of $64,600.

The 420-horsepower, 12-cylinder model, which VW touts as "the ultimate flagship of the Volkswagen brand," has only recently become available to U.S. car buyers.

At a base price of nearly $95,000, the Phaeton W12 is the most expensive VW ever, Volkswagen's U.S. subsidiary acknowledged in a press release.

Even so, it added, the model was also "the most affordable 12-cylinder vehicle on sale in the U.S. market." Its closest competitors include the BMW 760Li, which starts at about $116,000, and the Mercedes S600, priced from $122,000.

The 2004 New Beetle from VW -- while not exactly the "people's car" the company took its name from -- has a 115-horsepower engine and a base price with a five-speed manual transmission of $16,330 in the U.S. market.

[ShadowAce]

$95,000 for a VW?? You've got to be kidding!

[bmwcyle]

No one is going to buy the VW overpriced name.

[ShadowAce]

Yeah--they should've just put the Porsche nameplate on it.

[goldstategop]

Yep. Its aimed at the luxury car market segment. And from what I've seen, the Phaeton is a car designed to rival Mercedes Benz and Bentley Rolls Royce in quality and internal features, which is what buyers in this price segment are looking for. No, its not the famous Beetle for the masses, but VW is beckoning for the wallets of the Dom Perignon set. They can afford the stiff price tag on this new car in the VW lineup.

[Atlas Sneezed]

They're building a brand. I've sat in one. They're awesome. Whether the badge is Audi, VW, or Porsche is a matter of target market.

Remember when you thought that no one would pay $35,000 for a Japanese sedan (the Lexus LS400 intro)?

VW doesn't care about the old fart market, they are going after the youth/active market, who drove Jettas, Passats, and new Beetles, and are ready to graduate to a $50,000 SUV or $70k luxo barge.

[Vesuvian]

I don't know what they're thinking- they should have slapped an Audi label on it or put the W-12 engine in the A8 or supercharge it and call it the S8. A person can get an AWD Passat W8 for much less that the A6 4.2 with a V8.

[RightWhale]

If VW could produce this for $1,600 it might be interesting. But anybody can build a car, the opinion of VW engineers notwithstanding.

[AppyPappy]

Great. $100G for a car that some kids will smack with a shopping cart in a parking lot. Pass.

[Southack]

Not my idea of enough flash for shelling out 6 figures...

[Adams]

The car IS nice, but the US dealer network still sucks and will need a LOT of work if they plan on having success with these.

[brazucausa]

This is way overprice and especially coming from VW.

[Redbob]

Now picture having to go to a VW dealer to get it serviced...

[Cagey]

Nice, but does it float?

[opbuzz]

If Ted Kennedy drove a Volkswagen, he'd be president today.

So said the National Lampoon ad.

[cmsgop]

I gotta tell ya, VW has won me over from GM(Chevy)Big Time. I Love my2000 Jetta, it never breaks and it has alot of Audi A-4 stuff in it. The service is Outstanding,Friendly, and Affordable and Damm Fast. Chevy Dealers were Horrible to me with my Camaro's in the past, just awful and Expensive.

VW treats me like a King. VW products are getting kind of expensive but to me are worth the extra $$. I saw the Phaeton too W-12 at $88,900 in Seattle. It is Da Bomb!