Volkswagen Is Working On A Phaeton Successor

The Phaeton, a car nobody knew they wanted, didn’t exactly do well in the market. There’s been talk of Volkswagen bringing it back, but with the departure of VW Group’s old chief, that doesn’t look nearly as likely. That’s why a new report from Motoring, a publication from Down Under, is so interesting.

Motoring spoke with Dr. Frank Welsch, VW’s director of development, about a Phaeton successor concept car that will debut in Geneva next March. Welsche spilled some details, the most interesting being that this concept will be all-electric. Considering the mess Volkswagen made with Dieselgate, rolling out yet another EV is a great idea.

This flagship sedan doesn’t have a name, at least not officially. I doubt it will be called Phaeton II. It will share the MEB electric-car platform with the I.D. and it’s growing lineup of spinoff models. That may mean this new sedan will be called the I.D. something – we’ll see.

Welsch also said the new car will be large, of course, and “classical” in its styling. In other words, the average person may not realize it’s an EV at first glance. That’s great, because not everyone who wants electrification also wants a car that looks like a cartoon.