Volkswagen is due to launch a new generation of its Phaeton full-size luxury sedan overseas sometime in the next couple of years, and this one’s destined to reach U.S. showrooms. It’s been eight years since the Phaeton was dropped from the local market, but rumors of its return have persisted ever since.

Now the new chief of VW’s American unit, Michael Horn, has stated that a new Phaeton will be sold in the U.S. in 2018 or 2019. He revealed the news during an interview with Bloomberg at this week’s New York Auto Show.

Only a month ago another senior VW exec, product development boss Heinz-Jakob Neusser, confirmed that a new Phaeton was in the works. He said the car would be based on the VW Group’s next-generation MLB platform, nicknamed MLB Evo, which will also underpin a host of Audi models.

We’ve also heard that VW has finalized the design of a new Phaeton but was still sorting out suitable technology for it. The car is expected to feature a weight-saving aluminum body and downsized engines, most likely with some form of electrification offered as an option.

Despite the Phaeton never previously selling in significant numbers, the car provides a platform for the VW brand to introduce new technologies that will eventually flow into other, more affordable models. The full-size luxury sedan segment has also seen non-traditional brands like Kia and Hyundai join the fray in recent years, so the timing may be right for VW to return to the segment.

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