Because a wealthy middle class is growing in China, for whom an Audi A6 is still too expensive, but who also no longer want to drive a VW Passat or the very similar Magotan Volkswagen now with the Phideon. The five-meter limousine was designed entirely according to the individual wishes of Chinese drivers and was developed in collaboration with the long-standing joint venture partner SAIC-Volkswagen in Shanghai. Production also takes place in China.
More chrome, more wood, more decorative elements and a state-of-the-art cockpit tailored to the driver characterize the interior of the Phideon. At the express request of the Chinese, a high-quality analog clock ticks in the center of the dashboard, just like in the luxury segment. The luxury sedan also offers great legroom in the rear. No wonder with a wheelbase of a good three meters. "The Phideon fulfills all the criteria of a chauffeur-driven limousine," says VW design chief Klaus Bischoff.
However, more and more Chinese drivers now love to get behind the wheel. What VW has put under the hood of the Phideon should not disappoint. The exhibition model is equipped with a three-liter V6 petrol engine (300 hp) and all-wheel drive and will then surely reach the upper limit of the price range of RMB 400.000, equivalent to around EUR 55.000. The base should start at 300.000 RMB (41.000 euros) and will receive the two-liter TSI petrol engine and front-wheel drive. The Chinese don't like diesel engines. Rather plug-in drives, because they are subsidized for tax purposes and offer better prospects for the allocation of a license plate in the big cities. VW is planning a GTE variant of the Phideon next year.
Technically, the Phideon came into being - the name is an artificial word and is supposed to be a phonetic reminder of Fides, the Roman goddess of loyalty - as the first Volkswagen on the modular longitudinal modular system MLB (the Passat is based on the MQB, the engine is installed transversely here) and also shows it New design orientation of the Volkswagen brand: a very broad face and extremely clean body folds. The so-called character line on the flank takes a superlative here. With a record value of just 114 degrees, the outer body panel was bent so sharply that a shadow gap is created below the line, which appears almost concave and gives the Phideon a high degree of precision.
Now Volkswagen will have to put up with the question of why we do not offer such a luxury sedan? Especially since there would still be wonderful space between the Passat and the Phaeton. VW does not officially comment on this. But it is said that the Phideon will soon be sold outside of China. It is quite possible that one day Europe will be one of them.
Author: Michael Specht / SP-X
