New Volkswagen Phaeton luxury sedan passes road tests

German automaker Volkswagen conducts tests on updated sedan Phaeton, the first version of which was born in 2002. Experts agree that Volkswagen could hardly sell a lot of units of the car because of its high cost and the availability of Audi A8 model in the market.

The main competitors of VW Phaeton are the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-class reported WorldCarFans.

The car has recently been spied during a test-drive. This is the second update of this model. The first facelift of Phaeton was held in 2007. The release of the completely new generation of the premium sedan is scheduled for 2011.

The photos showed that the Phaeton has a more modern design for front and rear bumpers, new optics, and the grille.

Under the hood of the car the manufacturer will install as engines of past versions, and new power units. In particular, the mast-head version of Volkswagen Phaeton V12 receives turbo diesel engine from Audi. A hybrid version of the vehicle is also possible.