What's all this about?
Volkswagen's replacing the Phaeton saloon with this, the Phideon.
Really?!
Oh yes. Well... no, actually. But, sort of, yes. Oh, all right then, no.
What are you on about? Can you make your mind up, please?
OK - the Phideon is a five-metre long tech-fest of a saloon that is designed to cater to the well-heeled. It is powered by a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 petrol TSI unit, which makes 300hp and 440Nm, driving through a 4Motion transmission. Equipped with all manner of luxuries, like air suspension borrowed from Bentley (yes, Bentley), night-vision cameras, a head-up display and Apple CarPlay/Android MirrorLink connectivity - among more - it's a machine that will whisk away the miles in comfort. What a shame, then, that you'll never get to experience it.
Eh? Why?
Because you don't live in China.
China?
Yes, China! The Phideon (its name, like the Phaeton, once again plucked from the obscurity of classical European mythology) will sit at the top of the huge Asian market's line-up, above the Passat and the Magotan. It will therefore be used as a limousine, with the important people who own it riding in the back. Good news that it's five metres long with a three-metre wheelbase, then.
If this is China-only, why are you telling me about it?
There are two good reasons, three if you count the fact we're a bit weird and just like overly-ambitious luxury saloons from manufacturers who aren't historically known for such things (Hyundai Genesis, anyone?). First, the Phideon previews the future design direction of the Volkswagen saloon family; not such a huge shock to us in Europe, as it is essentially a mild development of the Passat's visage, but it'll be all-new to China. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it is the first Volkswagen to sit on the Modular Longitudinal Matrix (MLB) platform, which is already used widely by Audi, and also by the Porsche Macan and Bentley Bentayga. Now isn't that of interest?
Sort of. Any more engines for the Phideon? A W12, perhaps?
You wish. There will be a 2.0-litre four-cylinder TSI option with front-wheel drive and, in the near future, a plug-in hybrid version too. The Volkswagen Phideon will go on sale, thousands of miles from here, in quarter three of 2016.
Matt Robinson - 1 Mar 2016