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Volkswagen Phaeton Facelift Breaks Cover

Volkswagen Phaeton FaceliftVolkswagen Phaeton FaceliftVolkswagen Phaeton FaceliftVolkswagen Phaeton FaceliftVolkswagen Phaeton Facelift
Volkswagen has taken the wraps of its facelifted Phaeton luxury sedan, which will be unveiled next week at the Beijing Auto Show (27th April to 2nd May). Volkswagen relies on the Chinese market to sell most of the production, since the largest auto market of the world bought 1400 of the 4000 Phaetons produced in 2009, a 40 percent increase on 2008 levels.

The changes to the car are mostly aesthetic. The new Phaeton features the new VW family face, a new front-end styling familiar to all new Volkswagens, including the Polo, Golf and Touareg. The restyled headlights include LED daytime running lights, the grille features more chromed elements and the bumper is also redesigned.

Changes have also been made at the rear and a new kit has been added inside, including Google Maps-based navigation system, road sign recognition technology and Dynamic Light Assist (camera-based main beam regulation).

The engines remain the same as in the current Phaeton. There are four engines with 6, 8 and 12-cylinder engines. The base model is the 3.2-liter V6 petrol engine, developing 280 horsepower. The best-seller 240 hp 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel will be available in both short and long-wheelbase models, while the top of the range 450 hp 6.0-liter W12 engine will be offered only in the long-wheelbase Phaeton. Besides these, a 4.2-liter V8 gasoline engine delivering 335 horsepower will also be available.

Volkswagen is targeting sales of about 2,500 Phaetons in China in 2010, according to Winfried Vahland, the chief of VW China operations. This number would make China by far the number one market for the Phaeton worldwide. The car will go on sale in Europe this autumn, at around EUR52,000 ($70,000).
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