The Volkswagen Phideon is an interesting choice of debut for the Geneva Motor Show 2016. For all intents and purposes it sounds like it is the replacement for the Volkswagen Phaeton, although the press release seems to suggest that it won’t be made available on the European market yet.
The Volkswagen Phideon has been developed by Volkswagen with assistance from SAIC Volkswagen, its Chinese partner. It is a premium segment, high end saloon which will be available for Chinese customers this year. It sits above the Passat at the top of Volkswagen’s range. Volkswagen say that it will pave the way for the future design of Volkswagen’s saloons.
The Phideon measures in at over five metres in length with a three metre wheelbase. It debuts Volkswagen’s new Modular Longitudinal Matrix (MLB) and is based upon the Volkswagen C Coupe GTE Concept Car we saw at Auto Shanghai last year. The MLB platform is a new suite of technology which we suspect will soon make its way into European Volkswagen models.
The MLB includes features such as a head-up display, a camera-based night vision system that warns the driver if there obstructions on the road, even in low visibility situations. It also includes Area View – a system with four wide-angle cameras – improves all-round visibility, adaptive cruise control, Front Assist, Park Assist, Lane Assist, Side Assist, a proactive occupant protection system and Light Assist. For the first time, the Phideon also gets an integrated Modular Infotainment Platform (MIB) which can incorporate CarPlay and MirrorLink.
The Phideon is powered by petrol and hybrid engines. The top-of-the-range model is the Phideon 3.0 TSI 4MOTION, which comes with a turbocharged 3.0 litre V6 four-wheel drive as standard. Power is rated at 300 hp with maximum torque of 440 Nm. A front wheel drive four-cylinder 2.0 TSI with front-wheel drive will also be available. With a plug-in hybrid drive also planned for the future.
The Volkswagen Phideon gets a traditional saloon shape with sharp contours to the bonnet, a high radiator grille with chrome crossbars and dual LED headlights and daytime running lights. Inside, the Phideon is designed for those that like to be driven. The rear has an emphasis on space and luxury with seat ventilation, heating and a massage function. Atmosphere is created by a wrap around ambient light strip. As a finishing touch, the Phideon is also fitted with an electric soft-closing system for the doors.
