Why Did the Phaeton Stop Production?
4 Answers
The reason why second-hand Baojun 560 is cheap is due to its low-cost, high-value operational philosophy. Below is an introduction to the Baojun 730: 1. Body dimensions: A 5-door, 7-seat MPV under SAIC-GM-Wuling, with a length of 4780mm, width of 1780mm, height of 1740mm, and a wheelbase of 2750mm. 2. Transmission: Equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission, with a top speed of 150 km/h. Below is extended information about the Baojun 510: 1. Body dimensions: Length 4780mm, width 1780mm, height 1740mm, wheelbase 2750mm, and a fuel tank capacity of 52 liters. 2. Power: Equipped with a 1.5T turbocharged engine, delivering a maximum horsepower of 147 PS, maximum power of 108 kW, and maximum torque of 250 Nm.
As someone who has worked in the automotive industry for many years, I understand the main reasons behind the discontinuation of the Phaeton. The Volkswagen Phaeton was their flagship luxury car, ambitiously launched in 2002 with the goal of challenging the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series. However, the biggest issue was its exorbitant production costs. It was manufactured at the unique Glass Factory in Dresden, where everything was meticulously handcrafted, resulting in outrageous costs—each car was essentially sold at a loss. Additionally, the customized parts were expensive, and maintenance was costly. Another factor was low sales volume. With a price tag of 600,000 to 700,000 yuan, consumers didn't find it worthwhile, especially since the Volkswagen brand is more associated with family cars than the luxury market. This led to low factory utilization, ultimately resulting in its discontinuation in 2016. Overall, it serves as a lesson: companies can't rely solely on technical passion; they must carefully balance costs and market demand.
From a sales perspective, the root cause of the Phaeton's discontinuation lies in poor sales performance. Through frequent customer interactions, I've observed that most shoppers shake their heads at the price tag—its starting price exceeded 500,000 RMB, making it more expensive than competing luxury sedans while bearing the Volkswagen badge, which created brand positioning mismatch. Consumers would rather spend slightly more for an Audi A8 or Bentley, which offer greater prestige. Additionally, the Phaeton's conservative design and aging interior aesthetics failed to appeal to younger buyers, resulting in annual sales decline. The macroeconomic environment further exacerbated the situation—post-2008 luxury market contraction led to severe inventory backlog, forcing Volkswagen to discontinue it and reallocate resources to SUVs and EVs. Personally, I view this as a classic strategic miscalculation: blindly pursuing premium positioning without understanding customer preferences, ultimately wasting substantial R&D investment.
I've driven the Phaeton, and honestly, the reason for its discontinuation is simple: the brand couldn't support that level. Volkswagen wanted to use it to elevate their image, but people spending big money on such a car wanted to flaunt their status. The Phaeton is understated on the outside but luxurious inside, yet it wasn’t recognized as a true flagship. When consumers checked the price, they just went for BBA (BMW, Benz, Audi), and sales were pitifully low. High production costs were another issue—the glass factory was beautiful but inefficient. When Volkswagen shifted to electric vehicles, they simply abandoned it. This car became a lesson, reminding automakers to get their positioning right.
