WOLFSBURG, Germany -- Volkswagen will offer the next Phaeton with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, company sources told Automobilwoche, a sister publication of Automotive News Europe.
The U.S. and China are the main target markets for the plug-in version of the brand's top-level sedan.
The new Phaeton will arrive in late 2016 or early 2017 -- one year earlier than the next Audi A8. Itwill be based on Volkswagen Group's MLB Evo modular-longitudinal platform, which was developed by Audi and will be shared with the next-generation Audi A4, A6 and A8 sedans, as well as the next-generation Audi Q7 and Volkswagen Touareg crossovers.
VW insiders say that while Audi has developed its A8 flagship with the new BMW 7 series in mind, VW is primarily taking aim at the Mercedes-Benz S class.
