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This is the new flagship VW luxury sedan - but you can't have one

Mar 1, 2016, 04:02 IST

Volkswagen

Volkswagen introduced its new Phideon luxury sedan today, ahead of the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.

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The Phideon is expected to be the successor to the company's much-maligned Phaeton sedan, which will cease production in March.

There's one catch. Unless you live in the People's Republic of China, you can't have one.

That's because the car will launch there in the third quarter of 2016.

In fact, VW's Chinese partners at Shanghai Automotive even provided design input for the company's German design team.

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The German automaker goes as far as calling this car the "new face of Volkswagen luxury sedans."

According to the brand's head of design Klaus Bischoff, the Phideon is a European offering for China's style-conscious consumer.

The top-of-the-line Chinese market Phideon sedan will be powered by 3.0-liter, 296-horsepower, turbocharged V6 engine. Lower-end models of the car will be available with a four-cylinder engine. According to VW, a plug-in hybrid version is also in the works.

The Phideon sedan is built on VW Group's highly praised MLB platform, which also underpins a wide range of cars including the Audi A4, A8, and Porsche Macan.

It's unlikely that the Phideon in its current guise will make to the US or Western Europe without upgraded powertrains. Although, economics may preclude VW from doing so even if it wanted to make the move. For all of the Phaeton's exceptional capabilities, it was absolute sales failure for VW in the US and much of Europe.

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However, with the Chinese demand for chauffeur driven sedan, the Phideon has it best chance for success in the Middle Kingdom.

Volkswagen has not announced pricing or a production location for the Phidoen.

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