The Volkswagen D1 finally gets a name

By Pete Frost - December 12, 2001

A ceremony to mark the opening of the new ã187 million Volkswagen plant on December 11 in Dresden, eastern Germany, heralded the official naming of the new VW flagship to be built there.

Ferdinand Piech, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, revealed that the new luxury model, which had previously been referred to as the D1, would be called the Phaeton. It will compete at the top end of the luxury car sector with the likes of BMW's 7-series and the Mercedes S-class.

At full capacity, 800 staff at the new factory will produce 150 of the vehicles per day.

The name Phaeton, which when translated also means The shining one, has its origins from Greek mythology ? Phaeton, the son of the sun god Helios, steered the sun carriage.

At the beginning of the last century the name Phaeton was used especially in Europe for popular body shapes. The vehicles were preferably used for exhibition purposes.

The name Phaeton therefore takes a theme from the past and projects this into the future of the modern motorcar. This classic theme of car manufacture reflects itself in the high quality of the new luxury sedan and the plant where it will be built.

German chancellor Gerhard Schr¦der attended the opening ceremony and said in a speech that the new plant was an encouraging signal for the development of the Volkswagen group and the state of Saxony. He added that the manufacturing industries had been the engine behind the eastern Germany economy for some time.

Initially, the car will incur greater costs than income, according to an insider. Investments in the new production site amounted to DM356m, and the development of the D1 is likely to cost a multiple of this figure. One analyst says that if Volkswagen succeeds, through the Phaeton, in increasing its premium compared with rivals Opel and Ford, it will already have met the costs of the new model. New car buyers are already willing to pay around 10 per cent more for VW cars than for comparable vehicles from other mass producers.

The company also plans a luxury version of its off-road vehicle, likewise to be manufactured in Dresden.

The Phaeton will first be exhibited at the Geneva motor show in March, when the sale of the vehicle will also be launched.