Actually I think this is an excellent and well thought out article. There is no question that the Phaeton was the wrong car for the wrong market, at least in the US. VW expected loyal owners ready to jump into the luxury car segment to stick with the VW brand. What they didn't count on was the prestige mentality - something that Toyota thought of when they made up the Lexus brand. Would anyone here want to buy a $65k luxury Toyota? The comparison with a Camry would be inevitable.
So it really isn't about the car itself but more about branding. You'll find most Phaeton owners satisfied with their purchase as it's a well engineered car. It also provides exceedingly good value for the money, especially when compared with its direct competitors, like the S class, 7 series, and A8. Service departments can be a problem but VW North America spent a great deal of effort to ensure well trained people were in place. They also have one of the best buy-back programs if a customer was dissatisfied with even the smallest detail. No, the problem wasn't the car, it was with perceptions and a failure in marketing this product correctly.
