All About Japan Autos

After its introduction at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show, the Volkswagen Phaeton sedan flopped in the U.S. However, VW apparently thinks it can still sell luxury cruisers because it’s considering giving the Phaeton another shot in the U.S.

If you weren’t familiar with the über rare Phaeton, that is because it had a short life in the U.S. “VW pulled the $85,000 Phaeton from the U.S. market in 2006 after four years of falling short of sales expectations,” writes AutoWeek.

This doesn’t have VW scared, however, as Juergen Borrmann — the director of VW’s Dresden plant — recently told Bloomberg: “We have our eyes firmly set on the U.S. market.”

Whether or not VW’s next-generation Phaeton will be a sales success remains unclear. As Autoblog points out, Hyundai has seen success with our number-two ranked Upscale Midsize Car, the Genesis luxury sedan. This shows some proof that buyers are willing to buy a car from a non-traditional luxury brand as long as it’s packaged right.

Still, Autoblog admits “that particular luxury cruiser doesn’t cost anything close to the Phaeton’s $85,000 MSRP,” which could be a deal killer.

If you’re in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals

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