Report: Lineup wide-EVs for Volkswagen, New Phaeton
Despite the chilling reception makers such as Fisker have gotten with their EVs, VW is fully convinced that the marque should offer optional plug in hybrid powertrains throughout their entire range. Anticipating breakthroughs in the EV industry as early as 2016, Heinz-Jacob Neusser, Development Chief at VW recently suggested in an interview with Autocar at the Geneva Auto Show that by 2020, EV range may be three times what it is today. Though VW did not exactly have the bottom of the barrel reputation that Kia and Hyundai originally did when the Hyundai Genesis was launched, the Volkswagen Phaeton full size luxury sedan never sold in great numbers, but, says Neusser, “We use all the technology and develop it for other VWs and group brands,” when referring to the new features built into the original Phaeton. This isn’t the first time we have heard this, though.
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He went on to say that because the advanced tech went into the rest of their cars that the Phaeton was actually a very good business case despite never selling well. Though this seems a bit obvious, Neusser also pointed out that the new car must be “very smooth and luxurious to drive” and that it should “be class leading.” When asked of the Blue Sport Concept sports car, Neusser was less than encouraging and suggested that there really is no way that the car would make the company enough of a return to justify it. No further information has come out yet as to when we might see a new Phaeton concept, but if VW is softly confirming it, it could be within the next couple of years that we could see a concept.
-By: Sawyer Sutton
Source: Autocar
