Shinkaze
08-18-2004, 09:57 AM
From autoextremist
VW. Well, that was fun. As predicted, VW is slapping on a discounted lease in order to move "Piech's Folly" - otherwise known as the VW Phaeton. It doesn't matter how good the car is or how well-equipped it is or even how much the automotive media has been extolling its virtues of late - the fact remains that, as they say in the country, "that dog won't hunt." You can't overcome 50 years of value-based history in this market overnight, so whatever the merits of the Phaeton are on its own, it just hasn't been able to overcome the fact that the VW badge is a major impediment for people when it comes to spending $70,000 (and up) on a luxury sedan. VW has sold exactly 939 Phaetons since the beginning of the year, through July. The new lease, which involves a payment of $699 per month on a 36-month lease, requires startup costs of $5500. There will also be a special 48-hour test-drive available to interested prospects. Suffice to say, no matter who decides to sign up for the car during these "blowout" sales days, the Phaeton will go down as one of the biggest market miscalculations in automotive history.
VW. Well, that was fun. As predicted, VW is slapping on a discounted lease in order to move "Piech's Folly" - otherwise known as the VW Phaeton. It doesn't matter how good the car is or how well-equipped it is or even how much the automotive media has been extolling its virtues of late - the fact remains that, as they say in the country, "that dog won't hunt." You can't overcome 50 years of value-based history in this market overnight, so whatever the merits of the Phaeton are on its own, it just hasn't been able to overcome the fact that the VW badge is a major impediment for people when it comes to spending $70,000 (and up) on a luxury sedan. VW has sold exactly 939 Phaetons since the beginning of the year, through July. The new lease, which involves a payment of $699 per month on a 36-month lease, requires startup costs of $5500. There will also be a special 48-hour test-drive available to interested prospects. Suffice to say, no matter who decides to sign up for the car during these "blowout" sales days, the Phaeton will go down as one of the biggest market miscalculations in automotive history.