Volkswagen · 2001–2016
Volkswagen Phaeton
The Volkswagen Phaeton ( FAY-tən) (Typ 3D) is a full-size sedan/saloon manufactured by the German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen, described by Volkswagen as their "premium class" vehicle. Introduced at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show, the Phaeton was marketed worldwide. Sales in North America ended in 2006 and global sales ended in 2016. The name Phaeton derives from Phaëton, the son of Phoebus (or Helios) in Greek mythology, by way of the phaeton auto body style and the type of horse-drawn carriage that preceded it. Production ended in March 2016 and an all-electric second generation was slated to be produced. Starting in April 2017, the Transparent Factory Dresden began assembling the e-Golf instead.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
UK fuel mix: —. Records from the VCA fuel & emissions archive.
Model years
Generations & variants
Photos
UK vehicles on the road
645 licensed and 482 SORN (1,127 total) at 2025 Q4.
| Year (latest quarter) | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 1,965 |
| 2015 | 1,924 |
| 2016 | 1,857 |
| 2017 | 1,777 |
| 2018 | 1,703 |
| 2019 | 1,603 |
| 2020 | 1,516 |
| 2021 | 1,446 |
| 2022 | 1,370 |
| 2023 | 1,291 |
| 2024 | 1,193 |
| 2025 | 1,127 |
DfT/DVLA VEH0120 vehicle licensing statistics, source ↗, Open Government Licence v3.0. Small counts are rounded or suppressed at source.
Sources
- Wikidata / Wikipedia profiles — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/cars/Q158736CC0 / CC BY-SA 4.0
- UK Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) fuel & emissions data — https://carfueldata.vehicle-certification-agency.gov.uk/Open Government Licence v3.0
- DfT/DVLA VEH0120 licensing statistics — https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/vehicle-licensing-statistics-data-tablesOpen Government Licence v3.0
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.