Phaeton (carriage) spring suspension system, with or without a top. A variation of this type of a carriage is called a "Victoria", with a retractable cover over the rear passenger compartment. Each June from 1978 to 2011, during the official Queen's Birthday celebrations, Queen Elizabeth II traveled to and from Trooping the Colour on Horse Guards Parade in an ivory-mounted phaeton carriage made in 1842 for her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. In her later years, Queen Victoria greatly enjoyed travelling in a phaeton drawn by a single white donkey, or mule, when on her holidays in Cimiez, then a small village on the
Volkswagen Phaeton be produced. Starting in April 2017, the "Gläserne Manufaktur" Dresden assembles VW e-Golf instead. The Phaeton was conceived by Ferdinand Piëch, then chairman of Volkswagen Group. Piëch wanted Volkswagen engineers to create a car that would surpass the German prestige market leaders, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. The decision to release the Phaeton was, in part, a response to Mercedes' decision to compete directly with Volkswagen in the European marketplace with the low cost A-Class. It was also intended to support the Volkswagen brand image. Although the Volkswagen Group already has a direct competitor in the full sized luxury segment, the Audi