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Birkenstock sandals, tie dyed T shirts, daisy chains and a VW van. All are symbols of the Hippie ideals of peace, love and all things vegetarian. So it was a bit of a surprise in 2004 when Volkswagen introduced $70,000 luxury model to their lineup. The company famous for putting a vase for fresh flowers on the dashboard of the new Beetle, introduced the Phaeton in an attempt to compete with high end luxury cars, including the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 series. The V8, 335 horsepower car boasted some of the most advanced features in the industry, like an air compressor suspension system and draughtless four zone climate control. It even included an electronically controlled shiatsu massage system in the seats. The car was an astounding achievement. It was very comfortable and was a monster on the road, outperforming other more established luxury cars in its class. The critics loved it. But there was a small problem. Despite all the facts and figures, features and benefits, and regardless of the world renowned German engineering, few people bought one. It just didn’t make sense. What VW had done was inconsistent with what we knew them to believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n