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Next Volkswagen Phaeton Will Be a Chrysler 300 Rival

The Phaeton is a car made from the same mould as the first generation Touareg. Before these two ground-braking cars arrived, the idea of a premium Volkswagen was unfathomable and the brand probably wouldn't be what it is today. Yet while the Touareg flourished and spawned offspring, the Phaeton remained a relative recluse, enjoyed only by the purest of fans. A replacement has long been speculated, but never materialized because the Germans simply couldn't build a solid case for their expensive four-door.
Volkswagen Phaeton 1 photo
Photo: Volkswagen
All that has changed, as the Phaeton seems to be on the fast track to production. A report published by Edmunds suggests the new Phaeton will take on American mid-size premium sedans like the famous Chrysler 300 and its rival from Ford, the Taurus.

Volkswagen of America General Manager of Product Marketing and Strategy, Kevin Joostema, said they are working to determine the features which will be needed to attract typical 300 customers. Based on their latest all-new car in America, the Golf, we can expect LED lighting, lane-keeping systems and possibly even hybrid technology. He also said prices would naturally overlap with some Audi models.

The Chrysler 300C starts at $37,280, which is entry-level A4+toys money. Even the brand new A3 entry-level premium car can go that high if you go for the 2-liter turbo with quattro and check all the options boxes. If Volkswagen can give us a big sedan for that sticker, there should be no shortage of customers. Going up against the 300 actually means the Phaeton has been downgraded from a flagship to a sort of BMW 3 Series company man's car. However, if this is what's needed to keep big VW sedans alive and eek out better sales in America, then it's still for the best.

Expect the new Phaeton to come out in 2018 and be available as a plug-in hybrid, possibly based on the bigger version of the MQB that's going into the next Passat.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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