VW’s ‘stiffs or stars’ dilemma
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Volkswagen seems confused. On the one hand, it does something right by providing courtesy transport at this year’s Sundance film festival (striking writers, you may not know about that) with its second-generation Touareg SUV. Yet, in an effort to regain traction in the American market, where VW has been under-performing of late, the company is seriously considering the re-introduction of the Phaeton. Remember that? The car that had as much impact on the luxury vehicle segment as a bug has on a windscreen.
There are plans afoot for the people’s car makers to join Mercedes-Benz and BMW by establishing a production plant in the U.S. North Carolina looks like the favorite bet at the moment. This is all part of a strategy that involves a wider range of vehicles with a greater diversity of technology. No prizes for guessing that the suits have mentioned hybrids, electric cars and diesels. But the Phaeton? At least it’s not called something really silly -- like Rabbit.
-- Colin Ryan