It’s official: Volkswagen announces that it will cease production of its large sedan Phaeton. It is one of the cars that has generated more losses to your brand … but there is more.

It will be during the first quarter of 2016, probably in March when Volkswagen will end production a classic whenever we speak of greatest failures in the history of the engine: Its flagship Phaeton. born as representation sedan in response to the company’s traditional German luxury brands and commitment of the then president of the company, Ferdinand Piëch, was developed on a new platform of the group, then use the Bentley Continental. However, a marketing initially estimated at 50,000 units, barely he managed 11,000 in its best year.

Against this background, the German group has decided to end manufacturing Phaeton. The scandal emissions and readjustment time investment leads to brand completely overhaul the factory in Dresden (Germany) where it occurred, time in which many of its workers will be relocated to the nearby factory in Zwickau, where they produce Volkswagen Golf and Passat.

The news does not, initially, the definitive cancellation of the large saloon Volkswagen, since all reports indicate that, perhaps since 2018, the brand would have thought launch a successor to the VW Phaeton, but it No V8 engine or W12 as he came to ride, but also conceived as a electric sedan pure with which the German group would be thinking about competing against Tesla. It based on production figures and calculating fixed costs, investment in R & D and profit margins according to their actual sales prices before tax was the conclusion arrived a few months ago consulting Bernstein Research. Do you think much? For in his ranking cars with more losses ranked third. Collect the other 5 nominees large failures in the industry.

Smart Fortwo

Not today, but its predecessor. It’s considered the model that has generated losses to your company: nothing less than 3,350 million euros (More than 4,500 euros per unit). After an idea originally concocted by the owner of Swatch, Mercedes acquired the project and its subsequent failure. The problems attributed to the Bernstein report model are twofold: produce a new factory in France with very high costs and develop almost as if it were a flagship, including safety cell in composite materials or rear wheel drive.

Fiat Stilo

Second car with more losses for your company, always according to Bernstein. In its report it finds that the mark sought to create a “Italian version of a German car”, something that the audience did not understand. The project was born with the aim of selling nearly 400,000 units per year … and He not at his best came to exceed 180,000. With each unit sold it is estimated that Fiat lost nearly 2,800 euros: that is to say, 2,100 million Total from 2001 to 2010.

Peugeot 1007

He VW Phaeton would be the third model with more losses, but as we have talked about it, we the fourth: the Peugeot 1007. this small MPV 3.73 meters, designed by Pininfarina and ideal for the city for its concept of space and sliding rear row sliding side doors electrical. Misunderstood and not too inexpensive to purchase, from an initial estimate of 200,000 units per year, the first only reached 75,000 and was declining. 15,000 euros each unit meant losses for a total of 1,900 million euros.

Mercedes Class A

Another that either we mean, obviously its new generation. In this case it was the first Mercedes Class A, the small MPV of the brand, which was another important commercial failure. A costly development he joined his famous turnaround in the moose test. Conclusion: between 1997 and 2011, Bernstein believes that for each unit sold Mercedes lost 1,500 euros, for a total of 1,710 million.

Bugatti Veyron

We close our particular top 5 major failures with the Bugatti Veyron, 1 car.001 hp. Priced at more than 1 million euros, sales of 100 units per year were estimated. Although they came close 40 and generated a total losses close to 1,700 million euros, his case is different from the rest. He VW group is assumed and conceived and since its inception, it is developing almost like a technology lab.

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