In the hagiography of automobiles beloved by enthusiasts, the Volkswagen Phaeton is revered as an icon of technological brilliance, rejected in America by a marketplace of Philistines too self-conscious to appreciate its technological brilliance or unmatched discretion. For once, it’s an estimation not entirely divorced from reality.

But given the disastrous results that resulted in a brief, two-year stint for the Phaeton, one would expect that VW of America, which is desperately trying to rebuild their fortunes in the American marketplace, would be gun shy about reviving the Phaeton in America.

Instead, the Volkswagen Group’s terminal insecurity about the Volkswagen brand’s standing in the marketplace has led it to launch a two-pronged attack, with two luxury sedans planned for both China and the United States.

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Cadillac will move its headquarters to New York City’s SoHo district, in a bid to establish itself as a distinct business unit and luxury brand, and put more distance between it and parent company General Motors.

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Hot on the heels of Volkswagen’s apparent plans for a Chinese-market luxury sedan, Automotive News is reporting that Volkswagen’s next-generation Phaeton, destined for the American market once again, will start at $70,000.

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Back in June when Ford delivered a conventionally-powered 2014 Ford Fiesta to our driveway for a week-long visit, I realized that, “The subcompact buyer who wants to chase fast cars on twisty roads must move the Fiesta to the top of the list.”  With its direct and interactive steering, back-road handling chops, and surprising ride […]

Honda and General Motors dealers beware: If you’re not strictly adhering to the rules laid out by the certified pre-owned overlords, you might find yourself suspended until conditions improve.

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2015 Chevrolet Colorado

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After Nashville TN, we are now heading 222 miles South West to Memphis, still in Tennessee. As a reference point, the best-selling vehicles in Tennessee are the Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry and Ford F150 (2012 figures). Splitting the F-Series into its specific variants (F150, F250) does mean it is ‘only’ #1 in 22 states. However if we get into detailed observation, Memphis is the first city I have visited so far to have a strong mid-sized pick-up truck heritage and I will cover this at the end of the report. My first striking impression in Memphis is the markedly older vehicle landscape, in line with the region struggling a little economically in recent times. Cars 6-7 years or older are the norm here which prompts me to describe the state of the US car landscape as I have been witnessing it so far.

Full report below the jump.

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According to the latest report from the General Motors compensation program published Monday, 21 fatalities linked to the defective ignition switch that launched a thousand recalls will receive payments.

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Back in 2013, Jack Baruth conducted a road test of the Lotus Evora IPS (that’s Lotus speak for automatic), comparing it to the standard bearer of 2+2 sports cars, the Porsche 911. Much to the consternation of the Porsche PR department, Baruth’s verdict was in favor of the Evora: Even with a less-than-perfect automatic, the […]

As Ford prepares to stake its future on an aluminum F-150, Toyota is looking to do the same for at least a single part on its best-selling vehicle.

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One of the main goals of Tesla’s Gigafactory is to bring down battery pack costs to just under $100 per kilowatt-hour within 10 years. That goal may be harder to achieve, however, according to one skeptic.

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Now that Jaguar bestowed the XE upon the world, the automaker’s engineers and designers are turning toward updating the XF as the first generation draws closer to the end.

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This summer, we heard news that Cadillac was scrapping plans for a three-row crossover set to slot between the SRX and the Escalade. But according to new Cadillac head Johann De Nysschen, that vehicle might be back on the table, along with a slate of new products designed to raise the stature of Cadillac in the minds of a new generation of buyers.

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If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results, then Volkswagen has gone certifiably bonkers.

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The Chrysler/Mitsubishi pairing that brought us the turbocharged DSM twins and the Colt cars is being resurrected in a roundabout way. A new mid-size truck for Fiat’s commercial vehicle lineup will be sourced from Mitsubishi, which will lend FCA the use of its upcoming L200 truck.

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Hi Sajeev,

I saw your call for reader questions for the Piston Slap series, and as a diligent and loyal TTAC supporter/Kool-Aid drinker, I will do my best to do my duty (did I just recite the Boy Scout motto?).

You’ve been kind enough to respond to my previous question regarding the failing health of my wife’s Subaru Outback. By the way, in the spirit of CarTalk’s Stump the Chumps question follow-up feature, we ended up dumping the ailing Outback via Craigslist at a discounted price with a full-disclosure of all the mechanical issues (Love. It’s what makes a Subaru a Subaru…or something like that…). We got a 2nd gen Acura MDX and we actually love it. Take note Subaru.

Anyway, to my question: my daily driver is a 2007 4Runner with the lovely Lexus-derived 4.7 V8. The V8 part is important because in the 4×4 variant, as mine is equipped, the power is delivered to the road through a full-time 4-wheel drive setup, rather than the part-time 2H-N-4H-4L system found in the 4.0 V6 4Runner. We’ll come back to that in a moment.

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