This combined with the current dieselgate crisis that Volkswagen is in right now had led many to believe the entire Phaeton project could get the axe.
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Volkswagen has also stated the new Phaeton will have more comfort features built-in than on the Mercedes S-Class and will be based on “emotional design”. That the company instead chose to bolster their brand presence with a new Phaeton and include an all-electric model in the line-up is indeed a bold move, it must be said.
Among the most radical decisions is an overhaul of the VW Group’s approach to diesel engines.
In a bid to clean-up its oil-burning products, VW also announced a switch over to installing only diesel drives with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and AdBlue technology in Europe and North America as soon as possible.
VW does not indicate when the new Phaeton will be introduced, nor whether gasoline, diesel or hybrid versions are planned. The device shut off the emissions-trap system after testing and would spew up to 40 times the allowable level of nitrogen oxides during everyday driving.
Both passenger and light commercial vehicles will be built atop a new MEB electric platform, which is supposed to be modular and allow the creation of cars with an all-electric range of anything between 250-500 kilometers (155 to 310 miles). Volume models will receive new hybrid tech as well, and VW wants to provide them with a range of at least 300 kilometers (186 miles), partly thanks to a 48-volt power supply system.
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Despite the commitment to electric tech VW will push forward with petrol and diesel engines, pledging to improve efficiency further. Company chairman Dr. Herbert Diess said: “The Volkswagen brand is repositioning itself for the future”. Volkswagen brand’s newly formed Board of Management took these strategic decisions at a special meeting today. “We are creating room for forward-looking technologies by speeding up the efficiency program”. The Volkswagen team has proved it stands united and is fully focused on shaping the future.
