Ulrich Hackenberg, Volkswagen's chief of research and development, has confirmed that the next-gen Phaeton will be offered in the United States shortly after it debuts in Europe.

The next Phaeton will ride on the same platform as the upcoming Audi A8 and it will be largely built out of aluminum in order to shed as much weight as possible. The car will also grow a little, with the short-wheelbase variant expected to stretch no less than 196 inches long.

To increase the behemoth's green credentials, Volkswagen will drop big displacement engines in favor of smaller ones equipped with several turbochargers. Rumors claim that a plug-in hybrid drivetrain will be offered to further reduce emissions but the German automaker has yet to confirm this.

Like the current model, the next Phaeton will be aimed at a low-key target audience.

"The new one will have the same positioning [as the old one]: a straightforward sedan for the person who's successful but doesn't feel the need to show it. Volkswagen doesn't change course between generations of a car. It's always easier to keep the customers you have than to lose them and go find new ones," explained a company insider in an interview with German magazine Auto, Motor Und Sport.

The next-gen Phaeton will reportedly hit U.S. showrooms in about 2015.

2006 Volkswagen Phaeton2006 Volkswagen PhaetonTalk of the return of the Volkswagen Phaeton to U.S. shores dates back almost as far as the car’s exit in 2006. Most recently it was reported that a concept previewing the next-generation Phaeton, due out in the next year or two, was scheduled to be revealed at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show earlier this month.

No Phaeton concept was shown, but that doesn’t mean VW isn’t planning a new version of its flagship for the U.S. market. According to Car and Driver, VW had a concept ready for the Detroit show but pulled it at the last minute because the production version of the car was still too far away.

VW is working hard to ensure the second launch of its Phaeton isn’t a failure. Some of the measures its taking are said to include an aluminum body to help shed weight, increased dimensions to boost interior space, and the use of the latest infotainment technology.

Downsized engines are also likely, instead of the fuel-hungry V-10s and W-12s of previous versions, and expect to see plug-in hybrid technology used as well.

VW previously admitted that the Phaeton was generally unsuccessful due to a number of shortcomings, including problems with initial quality and bland styling. The automaker is convinced it’s learned the lessons from that failure and is ready to try again. We’ll just have to wait and see.

4MOTION is Volkswagen’s permanent four-wheel drive system.
The 4MOTION permanent four-wheel drive system from Volkswagen distributes the engine’s power to all four wheels as required.
On models where the engine is installed longitudinally, a Torsen differential splits the drive force between the front and rear axles.