#VwPhaeton

Volkswagen is delaying the launch of its revamped Phaeton luxury sedan until the company can find a way to keep production and material costs down. 

Volkswagen’s premium sedan will make a return to the U.S. in style.

Volkswagen CEO Michael Horn has disclosed some of the German automaker’s future plans for the U.S. market and they include one big vehicle, but not another.

The next-generation Volkswagen Phaeton will be “class leading,” according to Heinz-Jacob Neusser, the German automaker’s head of development.

The Volkswagen Phaeton will return to the U.S., but it won’t be any time soon as earlier reports had suggested.

Volkswagen plans to bring the Phaeton sedan back to the U.S., hoping to grab a piece of the upscale sedan market, something the German automaker has struggled to do thus far.

Volkswagen has set a goal of 800,000 units sold in the States by 2018, and to help them accomplish it, the German brand is looking to resurrect the Phaeton luxury car here in North America, and bring a new large crossover to the market.

Volkswagen is being accused of tampering with their efficiency graphs, by adding a non-existant H-category so that their Phaeton wouldn’t appear to be in very last place. The energy efficiency graph is assigned to all new cars by the German Environmental Aid Association and are only mandatory for cars since December 1st, 2011.

Volkswagen is considering bringing the Scirocco back to America says Jonathan Browning, the new man at the helm of the German automaker’s U.S. division.

Volkswagen‘s impressive luxury flagship, the Phaeton, may return to the U.S. after all – but not any time soon. According to a new report by Motor Trend, a VW rep told them as much, commenting that VW execs now believe the decision to cut the Phaeton from the U.S. market was “premature.”

Volkswagen has just revealed its new 2011 Phaeton flagship model ahead of the car’s scheduled debut at this year’s Beijing Auto Show. The car will be offered as either a standard wheelbase or extended wheelbase (a popular option in China). All-wheel drive and an air suspension will be standard and customers will have the choice of four different engines, ranging from 6-cylinders to 8-cylinders, all the way up to a big W12.

The two entry-level offerings are both V6 engines, one a diesel, the other gasoline. The gas-powered V6 makes 276-hp, while the turbodiesel V6 makes 236-hp and plenty more torque. The V8 is quoted at 330-hp, while a W12 engine tops the range with 444-hp (nothing new there).

The 2011 Phaeton measures 5.06 meters long (199-inches) and grows by 12 cm (4.7-inches) in the extended wheelbase model. VW will offer two rear seat configurations, with either a traditional bench seat or two individual chairs with a large center console.

The body of the car has been modernized, but isn’t a huge departure from past models. As for the interior it’s a luxurious oasis that would make even a Lexus blush, with 4-zone climate control, 18-way seats and a long list of customizable features.

And while the updates to the car’s look and engines aren’t overly noteworthy, VW has added some technological features like Dynamic Light Assist – which adjusts the amount and range of light from the headlights based on oncoming traffic. There’s also a blind spot assist feature, a navigation system that can integrate info from Google, plus a front camera that can “see” road signs and project the image onto the touchscreen panel on the center console.

Rumours continue to persist that VW will bring back the Phaeton to North America, but considering the car’s past lack of success, don’t count on it.

GALLERY: 2011 VW Phaeton

Official release after the jump: