Fourteen years after the launch o its flagship luxury sedan was launched, Volkswagen Phaeton has been killed as the demand kept dipping and people across the globe preferring its luxury-oriented rivals like Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi.
The staff at the Dresden factory pose with the last Volkswagen Phaeton
In a press release, the company said, “Today, production of the Phaeton luxury model ended after 14 years. Employees posed for a photo with the last vehicle manufactured – a black Phaeton.”
Volkswagen Phaeton was designed to take on the Mercedes Benz S-Class, BMW 7-series and the Audi A8 with a variety of engine options ranging from V6 to 5.0-litre V10 and the flagship 6.0-litre W12 mills. The Phaeton pictured here was a 4.2-litre V8 motor.
The facility in Dresden was built to manufacture the Bentley Continental Flying Spur along with the Phaeton but later on, went on to have its own assembly line in England. The factory will now be closed for 10 days from 29th March for modification. The company has assured that those working in the facility will be absorbed somewhere else. 100 people will continue to work in Dresden while the rest 400 will mainly be assigned to Zwickau or to other Group locations.
“Our D-class employees in Zwickau and Dresden have demonstrated outstanding manufacturing expertise with the Phaeton over the past 14 years. This know-how is also well known and highly valued at other facilities of the Volkswagen Brand and the Group,” said Prof. Dr. Siegfried Fiebig, Speaker of the Management Board of Volkswagen Sachsen GmbH.
The Dresden location’s Works Council Chairman Thomas Aehlig emphasized: “The production of the highest-quality vehicles should be resumed here under the eyes of customers and visitors in the near future. This is what the workforce and this unique facility deserve. Until then, the deployment of our colleagues to other locations will call for considerable flexibility.”
From beginning of April, the Transparent Factory will remain open for events as well as for vehicle delivery and preparation following the modifications.