How many Volkswagen Phaetons are left in New Zealand?
Rare 1 in 161,202 on the road Built 2004-2013 European
Updated from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, counted as at 31 August 2026. Recounted every month.
Volkswagen's attempt at a top-class luxury saloon, the pet project of chairman Ferdinand Piëch. Built from 2002 to 2016, largely by hand in a glass-walled factory in Dresden, it could be had with a W12 engine and shared much with Bentley's Continental. It was superbly engineered and sold poorly.
Still on the road, by model year
The most are from 2005: 6 still registered. Every year is listed under the chart.
Every model year
| Model year | Still registered |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2005 | 6 |
| 2006 | 5 |
| 2007 | 3 |
| 2008 | 3 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2011 | 3 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 4 |
By badge
The versions the register records, most numerous first.
| Which one | Built | Left | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| V10 TDI | 8 | Rare | |
| 3.0 V6 TDI | 5 | Rare | |
| 4.2 V8 | 3 | Rare |
What Rare means
Spotto grades every car by how many are still registered in New Zealand. With 29 still registered, the Volkswagen Phaeton is Rare: the grade for cars with 25 to 174 left.
By how many are left it ranks 36th of the 48 Volkswagen models and equal 1,532nd of all 2,903 cars in Spotto's catalogue.
The six grades: Common, 8,000 or more · Uncommon, 1,200 to 7,999 · Scarce, 175 to 1,199 · Rare, 25 to 174 · Super rare, 5 to 24 · Unicorn, fewer than 5.
Seen one?
Spotto grades every car on New Zealand roads by how many are still registered, down to the generation and the badge. Log the ones you spot, build a collection, and see who else has found one.