Volkswagen Phaeton
Mobiliteit & Automotive
Corporate
Project X helps Volkswagen position the Phaeton as a renewed interpretation of top class within the traditional limousine segment and anchors this position in brand, experience and service.
With the Phaeton, Volkswagen enters a segment dominated by tradition, status and recognisable codes. The apparent question is how an accessible and solid brand can operate credibly in this space. The real challenge is one of meaning: not aligning with the establishment but challenging it from within.
With the Phaeton, Volkswagen enters the highest segment of the automotive market. For decades, this segment has been defined by prestige, brand heritage and recognizable luxury codes. The visible question is how a brand known for accessibility and reliability can function convincingly in this world. Strategic exploration shows this question is too limited. The issue is not copying existing symbols of top class but redefining what top class means today.
The core insight is that within this establishment exists a group of people who do not express success through visible prestige, but through recognizing quality before it becomes widely acknowledged. They are critical, independent and distinguish based on substance rather than appearance. For this group, top class is not a copy of familiar forms, but a continuous pursuit of better.
From this insight, we develop the organizing idea Vernieuwing van de Top. The Phaeton is positioned as an unexpected top performer. Like innovative top wines, champagnes, watches and makers that can rival established names, yet deliberately operate outside the beaten path. The Phaeton is not a safe choice within classical luxury, but a choice for those who dare to recognize and value the new.
We translate this strategic framework not into a campaign, but into a complete world. Hand-built assembly in the Glass Factory in Dresden, transparency of the production process, the role of Ferdinand Piëch and his obsession with perfection, and the ‘Koopmanshuis’ as a knowledge and experience centre together form the structural anchoring of this idea. Every detail reflects the same belief: top class emerges through innovation, not imitation.
Execution takes shape in an ecosystem where product, environment and service tell one coherent story. The Phaeton is not just delivered, but experienced. It is a car you discover, not one that demands attention. By placing experience at the centre, the distinction becomes tangible and credible without explicit claims. It makes clear why the Phaeton is not a traditional luxury car, but a new interpretation of top class.
In collaboration with:
Leslie Hogeveen, Pon
Contact
When old answers don’t work anymore, you need new questions. And often, a good conversation helps open up that new perspective.
Arjan Kapteijns
arjan@projectx.nl
06 1509 0901