Volkswagen is planning to bring its flagship Phaeton sedan back to the U.S., but probably not until the car is completely redesigned in 2015.
The face-lifted Phaeton, which was unveiled earlier this year at the Beijing auto show, went on sale in June in Europe and goes on sale in China in September.
According to the Bloomberg news service, China is now the world's largest market for the Phaeton, accounting for 70 percent of sales.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Juergen Borrmann, who manages the Phaeton plant in Dresden, Germany, said "we have our eyes firmly set on the U.S. market" with the next-generation Phaeton.
Earlier this year, a VW of America spokesman told Inside Line: "We're considering the next-generation (Phaeton) model, which is scheduled for approximately 2015."
VW introduced the Phaeton in 2002 and pulled it from the U.S. market in 2006 after dismal sales. At the time, it was priced tens of thousands of dollars higher than the next most expensive sedan, the Passat.
Inside Line says: Success in North America will not come for the Phaeton unless its new design is spectacular, its performance is exceptional and its price tag is much more reasonable.
