Audi Q7 enters Indian SUV market!

The latest lady in town is SUV Audi Q7, which German premier car maker Audi announced on Thursday.

The sports vehicle will be available in Maharashtra in 11 colours and in three price range costing Rs 55.2 lakhs, Rs 53.4 lakh and Rs 29.9 lakh.

The car has all the latest ranging from features like voice control, so the driver can just call out the name of a song on the music system or a phone number from the cellphone.

It also has adaptable headlights that switch on or off according to the moves of the car, showing the path ahead. This seven seater luxurious car has a capacity of about 2,035 litres.

“Audi India achieved remarkable growth in the first eight months of 2009 by selling 1,128 cars (62 percent growth). With the launch of new Audi Q7, we expect to sell upwards of 1,500 cars,” said Audi India managing director Benoit Tiers.

Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai,Kolkata and Kochi already has Audi dealers.

“We plan to expand to Jaipur, Lucknow, Nagpur and Coimbatore soon,” Tiers said. Now that’s what the car lovers fantasy comes true!

BMW targets tier-II towns to retain top spot

BMW India is chalking out robust plans to retain its number one position in the Indian luxury car market. Having snatched the top spot from Mercedes Benz a few months ago, it plans to hang on to it by spreading its dealerships into smaller 'tier-II' cities, planning to double in its dealership network to 24 by the end of the year.


The Indian arm of the Munich-based company has indicated that after enhancing its presence in the tier 1 cities, it is now zeroing in on tier II cities like Coimbatore (where it opened a sales and service outlet on Thursday), Jaipur and Lucknow. The company, which currently has 12 dealers in 10 cities, will add 10 more dealers in 10 tier II cities by the end of 2010.

"In the first quarter of the year we have delivered 992 cars, which make us the number one player in the luxury segment. We don't know if we will remain the number one by the end of the year but we are on track to stay there," BMW India president Peter Kronschnabl told reporters at the company's plant in Gurgaon.

He said the company expects each dealer from Tier II cities to contribute about 30-40 cars per year. He added that while the standards of BMW dealerships were the same across cities, those in the smaller cities would have only one or two cars on display.

Kronschnabl, however, declined to forecast the company's sales target for the year stating a clear picture would emerge only after the second quarter.

Asked if the global slowdown has in any way made the firm alter its expansions plans in India, he replied in the negative. "Instead, we are going ahead. We are working at the same pace as before despite the slowdown. While we won't expand production capacity as we have enough, our focus is to expand our sales and service network," he said.

Kronschnabl said financing remains a challenge and sales could have been better had it not been for the difficulty in financing credit purchase of cars. He said currently BMW has tie-up with ICICI Bank for car finance, and "we have also tied up with HDFC Bank as a financing partner from this year".

He also said BMW's global component sourcing from India is going as planned. "We have identified a couple of partners and the next stage is to go for sampling and in the next two years we expect the volumes to pick up."

In the luxury segment, BMW competes with compatriots Mercedes Benz and Audi. According to data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, in fiscal 2008-09, BMW sold 3,038 units against 3,537 units sold by Mercedes. However, between January and March 2009, however, BMW sold 992 units to Mercedes' 966 units.

Currently, BMWs cost between Rs27 lakh (320i model) and Rs1.31 crore (M6 convertible). The company recently rolled out an all-new 7 Series sedan priced at Rs93.3 lakh and the SUV X6. It will introduce the new 3 Series sedan and X3 diesel SUV during this year.

Coimbatore foray
BMW India on Thursday opened its Kun Exclusive dealership in Coimbatore. This is a satellite facility of Kun Exclusive, Chennai, the dealership partner for BMW India in Tamil Nadu.

The facility is located on Aerodrome Road near N K Palayam, Ondipudur and comprises a fully equipped workshop and sales outlet at the same location. The facility covers approximately 5000 sq ft and that includes almost 500 sq ft of new car display area. It claims to offer the same standards of sales and service and the same customer experience as any BMW sales and service centre worldwide.

Commenting on the occasion, Owen Riley, director, after-sales, BMW India said, "We are proud to announce that our sales and service facility in Coimbatore is now operational. This facility, in partnership with Kun Exclusive, also initiates phase II of our expansion in India and is reflective of BMW's efforts to connect with customers and prospects across the state to provide high quality services that are at par with international standards."

BMW zips past Mercedes in India's luxury car market

For the first time ever, luxury marque Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, better known as BMW, has overtaken arch rival Mercedes Benz in terms of sales in India, taking the fight for supremacy in the luxury car segment to a new level.

BMW sold 270 cars and sports utility vehicles (SUV) or three times the total number of cars sold by Mercedes Benz, which stood at 89 units in January. Officials from both the companies say that 2009 will be the year, which would clearly define whether the generational domination of the three pointed star will be lost to BMW.

While announcing the launch of the X6 model (a luxury SUV) Peter Kronschnabl, president, BMW India said, "We were able to take the lead in January thanks to the success of the 3 and 5-Series. Around April we will get a clearer picture of market demand and will be in a better position to predict on following months."

Although sales in 2008 at 2,908 units was the best for BMW so far in India, it was still 24.5 per cent short of Mercedes tally of 3,621 units.

However, in the current financial year BMW has sold 994 units of the 5 and 6 Series sedans as compared to 490 units sold during the same period the previous year. Both models are in the range of Rs 40 lakh to Rs 85.5 lakh.

Meanwhile, Mercedes saw a rise of only 9 per cent in sales of the E Class at 883 units as against 810 units in the same period.

"Our customers are not that different from our competitors but the key to our success lies in the fact that we have been able to create the environment at our dealerships, service points, buying experience, which is on par with our global standards. Most of our 3-Series customers are young professional", added Kronschnabl.

The company launched three models in one month (January) including the new 7-Series, new 3-Series and the diesel variant of X3. The new luxury SUV X6, launched today is priced at Rs 65.9 lakh for the diesel variant and Rs 82.9 lakh for the petrol model.

According to industry experts the market for luxury cars expanded at a much faster rate than anticipated in 2008, however due to the on-going economic crisis the growth will be subdued this year.

Despite this luxury car makers are confident that the market will grow to 9,500 units by the end of next year from 7,500 units sold last year.

Sales for BMW began to show an upsurge ever since the company started local assembly of the 3-Series and 5-Series sedan in the Chennai plant from March 2007, thus making it substantially cheaper than their imported counterparts.

Mercedes Benz, meanwhile has decided to postpone the launch of the all-new E Class due to some technical glitches. Sources say that the launch is hampered due a delay in converting the model into a right-hand drive vehicle for markets like India.

BMW however, will go ahead with one more launch, which company officials say will not be a sedan, perhaps by the middle of this year.

Both companies have made special arrangements for financing their cars through tie-ups with banks and also through in-house financing arms. Although BMW has withdrawn the zero per cent interest rate offer, officials say that the company is working on different concepts along with the dealers.

Bentley’s New Car in India

Though the economy is slowing down rapidly, luxury car company Bentley and many other companies like it still see India as a ‘key market’, and remain bullish on the market. ‘There is always somebody making money’, says Bentley’s MD for India on the sidelines of launch of its new model in India.



Bentley announced the launch of its new model, Continental Flying Spur, which can make 100kmph in 4.2 seconds and reach its top speed at 322kmph. The new model is priced at Rs. 2.5 crores (ex-showroom Delhi). Bentley hopes to sell at least 10 models in India. “We are looking at enhancing our range in India. All our future models will be simultaneously launched in India along with the global market,” said Chris Buxton, Regional Directors, Bentley Motors, (Middle East, Africa and India).

Amidst the ongoing economic crisis, major car manufacturers are experiencing a major slump in their sales and piling up of inventories at their manufacturing units and dealer locations. On the other hand, Bentley surprisingly has an order backlog of 30 cars in India. This is even more amazing considering the cost of their cars in India. It clearly shows that someone somewhere is still making money.

Audi to drive in R8 at Rs 1.17 cr

German luxury car maker Audi will launch its sports car 'R8' in India this November, with a price tag of Rs 1.17 crore, even as the company gears up to clock an overall sales of around 1,000 cars in the country this year.

The sports luxury car will be an addition to the company's line of luxury sedans, including the A4, A6, A8, TT Coupe, and SUV Q7.

"The (R8) cost will be over crore...Rs 1.17 crore," Vice-President Marketing Audi (India) Martin Birkner said here.

Asked how many R8s Audi was planning to sell in India, he said the company has received orders for 15 units already, which would be delivered this year.

Bullish on the fast growing luxury-car market in India, Audi has already posted a 200 per cent growth this year from that of last year.

"The whole segment is growing and we are growing even faster than the segment. We will sell this year about 1,000 cars in India," he said, adding 350 units were sold last year.

Birkner said Audi's A4, which it has started assembling in India, has a major contribution to the speedy growth and added, "we will try to get more production to India to meet the demand for this product." The company had, earlier, said it planned to produce 11,000 units of A4 by 2015 in India.

Volvo Car India launches special edition

Special edition Volvo cars to be showcased during ocean race.

As the Cochin Port is making all efforts to host the biggest yachting race in the world - Volvo Ocean Race - the Volvo Car India, a division of the Ford Motor Company, has announced the launch of special edition cars to add glamour to the largest sporting event.

Announcing the launch, Volvo Car India managing director Paul De Voijs said that the company would be showcasing these special edition cars on the event mainly because the Volvo Ocean Race reflects the values that our customers look for when they choose a car. It was all about an active lifestyle, adventure and passion, he said.

The new Volvo Ocean Race car edition encompasses three models: The Volvo V70, Volvo XC70 and Volvo XC90 in ocean blue and electric colours. The seven yachts participating in the race will arrive Kochi in December and they will remain here for 10 days.

Following the launch in India during September last year, around 100 Volvo cars had been sold so far. The company has set a target to sell 500 units by the end of this year, he said.

The luxury cars range between Rs 38 lakh and Rs 52 lakh.

2009 Aston Martin V8 Vantage

If you have a lot of money and a bit of taste, the 2009 Aston Martin V8 Vantage is worth consideration as an alternative to the Best Sports Car Ever.



You can see this Porsche strategy in the 2009 V8 Vantage, a beautiful two-seat coupe and roadster that's quickly becoming an iconic luxury sports car design.



Like Porsche with the 911, Aston won't be updating the Vantage with facelifts every few years. The '09 V8 Vantage looks exactly like the '08 V8 Vantage, save for new 19-in. wheel designs and some interior tweaks.

Audi appoints five new dealerships in India

Audi, the German luxury car manufacturer, announced on Friday the appointment of five new dealerships at Ludhiana, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kochi and Kolkata expanding its dealership network to 12 locations across the country.

"Audi has received an overwhelming response in India. Our sales growth in first eight months of this year has been over 190 per cent. The announcement of the new dealerships is the commitment to a great future for the brand in India", says Benoit Tiers, Managing Director of Audi India. He added, "We are expanding to 12 exclusive and luxurious Audi dealerships in India. This will give customers the possibility to experience our models, the Audi world and premium service."

Audi Ahmedabad (Nixynova Motoren), Audi Chennai (Jubilant Enpro), Audi Kochi (Patel Cars), Audi Kolkata (Imperial Auto) and Audi Ludhiana (Olympus Motors) dealerships will be among the largest luxury car showrooms in their cities. The showrooms will have separate modern Audi workshop to service all Audi models. However, the dealerships have already started operating from their sales offices.

"In addition to the five newly appointed dealers, the Audi model range of Audi A8, Audi Q7, Audi A6, Audi A4 and Audi TT is available at present in seven dealership showrooms across the country: in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Gurgaon," Tiers mentioned.

Apollo rolls out signature stores

Taking its marketing cue from luxury car maker BMW and mass market players Maruti Suzuki India and Fiat, tyre maker Apollo is starting its own signature stores to showcase and sell its range in the country. Car companies are starting their signature stores in order to showcase their brand prowess and the $1.2-billion Apollo has adopted the same format.

Its pan-India stores will cater to different segments— Apollo Radial World (ARW) will focus on passenger cars while Apollo Trust (AT) will meet the needs of commercial vehicle owners. The company has started its first ARW store in Patiala and plans to roll out 10 more this fiscal. It plans to launch 100 AT stores during the same period.

Apollo vice-chairman Neeraj RS Kanwar told ET, “The new chain of branded stores are part of our endeavour to offer personalised premium service to our customers. Under the new marketing strategy we are taking our products closer to customers. We have launched new age V&H-rated and tubeless tyres, which are being offered exclusively through these stores.”

The retail experience will also be replicated in Europe, where the company plans to start operations in the next two years. It has planned to invest e200 million in Eastern Europe for an annual 7 million tyres capacity facility. “Our new retail marketing strategy is based on our experience in South Africa after we acquired Dunlop Tyres, two years ago. We have more than 200 signature stores called ‘Dunlop Zone’ which has helped us to roll out a similar marketing concept in India ,” he said.

The company currently makes four tyre brands --- Apollo, Dunlop, Regal and Kaizen -- for the domestic and international markets.

Daimler sees its Indian sales up 20 percent in 2008

Daimler AG sees its Indian sales rising 20 percent to around 3,000 cars in 2008 on sustained demand for its luxury Mercedes-Benz cars, the chief executive of its Indian unit said on Thursday.

"In India we have 120,000 dollar millionaires roughly. These are definitely our potential customers," said Wilfried Aulbur, chief executive of Daimler's Indian unit.

Mercedes sold 2,487 cars in the first eight months of 2008, compared with 2,491 cars for all of 2007, he said.

Mercedes has a capacity to roll out 5,000 cars in India now and could quickly double it, he said. It assembles the C, E and S class cars in India.

The luxury car market in India is dominated by Mercedes, BMW and Audi. Annual sales of less than 10,000 are miniscule given India's population of 1.1 billion, but are growing rapidly.

Last year the market grew 60 percent and this year it is on course to do double that rate due to new entrants in the luxury segment, Aulbur said.

"If you compare with other emerging countries there is significantly more potential in terms of volume here," he said.

BMW India to go to tier II cities; have 15 dealers in 1 yr

German luxury car maker BMW plans to increase its dealership in tier II cities in India after raising its sales target for the country.

BMW India, a 100 per cent subsidiary of BMW AG, will open showrooms in Lucknow, Coimbatore and Jaipur, taking its total dealership network from the current 12 to 15 in the next one year.

"We will have dealers in tier II towns like Lucknow, Coimbatore and Jaipur in the next one year," BMW India Peter Kronschnabl told reporters here on Tuesday.

The company, which sold 1,397 cars in calendar year 2007, raised its sales target in India by 40 per cent to 2,800 cars by December 2008. It has already sold about 2,000 cars in the country so far this year. "We are not affected by any slowdown in the automobile sector in India," he said.

On the contrary, the luxury car market in India will cross the 7,000 mark by the end of this year, significantly higher than 4,300 cars last year, Kronschnabl added. BMW India also plans to launch an amateur golf tournament series for its customers in Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai and Delhi from September 6. The national final of the tournament would be held in November in Gurgaon.

Merc mulls engine, gearbox unit in India

German auto giant Mercedes-Benz is contemplating setting up a plant to manufacture engines, gearboxes and other components in India at a whopping investment of Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 crore. While plans are yet to be finalised, the lower cost of manufacturing in India has compelled the company to give a serious thought to the proposition, Harald Landmann, the bus business head for Mercedes-Benz said at the launch of the company’s intercity luxury bus in Pune.

Assembled at Sutlej Motors in Jalandhar, the Rs 80-lakh bus will compete with its Swiss counterpart Volvo in the fast growing Indian luxury bus segment.

“We are yet to figure out when the entire bus building operation, including the development of engine and gearboxes, will happen in India. However, we are looking at a possibility to set up a manufacturing unit over the next three to five years,” Landmann said, speaking to reporters after the launch.

While Landmann did not disclose the location to set up this unit, officials close to the development hinted at Pune or Chennai.

Mercedes Benz is setting up its new facility at Chakan to manufacture cars as well as buses, which will begin operations in January. The company is expected to move all its operations from its present plant in Chikhali to Chakan. Considering this, the company might set up the engines and gearboxes unit in the vicinity of the Chakan plant.

“As our new manufacturing unit is coming up at Chakan, the engine and gearbox manufacturing should ideally happen in the same region. Since Pune has a strong automobile component industry, the unit has to come up nearby,” an official stated.

Once the company draws a concrete plan for the Rs 2,500-crore project, it will approach the Maharashtra government for approvals. “We might explore other states to set up the engine-gearbox facility if things do not work out in Maharashtra,” he added. Apart from Pune, Chennai could be the other option for this project.

Elaborating the business plan for the newly launched bus, Landmann said, “Mercedes-Benz enjoys a 17 per cent market share in the global luxury bus market. We have built the new bus on our versatile O500 R/RF chassis, which is being developed at the Pune plant. While most of the components are being imported from a Brazil-based unit, the chassis-building acitivity will happen in Jalandhar through an agreement with Sutlej Motors.”

“The luxury bus market is growing in India. Volvo, so far the only significant player in India, sold some 350 buses last year. Our plan is to earn a significant market share within the first year,” Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director Dr Wilfried Aulbur said.

Merc mulls engine, gearbox unit in India

German auto giant Mercedes-Benz is contemplating setting up a plant to manufacture engines, gearboxes and other components in India at a whopping investment of Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 crore.
While plans are yet to be finalised, the lower cost of manufacturing in India has compelled the company to give a serious thought to the proposition, Harald Landmann, the bus business head for Mercedes-Benz said at the launch of the company’s intercity luxury bus in Pune.
Assembled at Sutlej Motors in Jalandhar, the Rs 80-lakh bus will compete with its Swiss counterpart Volvo in the fast growing Indian luxury bus segment. “We are yet to figure out when the entire bus building operation, including the development of engine and gearboxes, will happen in India.
However, we are looking at a possibility to set up a manufacturing unit over the next three to five years,” Landmann said, speaking to reporters after the launch. While Landmann did not disclose the location to set up this unit, officials close to the development hinted at Pune or Chennai. Mercedes Benz is setting up its new facility at Chakan to manufacture cars as well as buses, which will begin operations in January. The company is expected to move all its operations from its present plant in Chikhali to Chakan.
Considering this, the company might set up the engines and gearboxes unit in the vicinity of the Chakan plant. “As our new manufacturing unit is coming up at Chakan, the engine and gearbox manufacturing should ideally happen in the same region.
Since Pune has a strong automobile component industry, the unit has to come up nearby,” an official stated. Once the company draws a concrete plan for the Rs 2,500-crore project, it will approach the Maharashtra government for approvals. “We might explore other states to set up the engine-gearbox facility if things do not work out in Maharashtra,” he added.
Apart from Pune, Chennai could be the other option for this project. Elaborating the business plan for the newly launched bus, Landmann said, “Mercedes-Benz enjoys a 17 per cent market share in the global luxury bus market. We have built the new bus on our versatile O500 R/RF chassis, which is being developed at the Pune plant.
While most of the components are being imported from a Brazil-based unit, the chassis-building activity will happen in Jalandhar through an agreement with Sutlej Motors.”
“The luxury bus market is growing in India. Volvo, so far the only significant player in India, sold some 350 buses last year. Our plan is to earn a significant market share within the first year,” Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director Dr Wilfried Aulbur said.

Skoda hikes rates of all its models

CZECH auto maker Skoda Auto’s Indian subsidiary Skoda India on Monday announced an increase in prices of all its models in the country.

A hike in the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 would be effective from August 1. “ The price hike has been necessitated by a variety of cost- push factors like surge in freight costs and in prices raw materials,” Skoda India member of board of director for sales and marketing Thomas Kuehl said.

Tata Motors may revive Daimler

TATA Group chairman Ratan Tata has told investors he is considering making a super- luxury version of the car that is a favourite of Britain’s reigning monarch, a British daily reported on Monday.

Ratan Tata, whose Tata Motors bought the marque as part of its $ 2.3- billion purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover earlier this year, was looking to revive Daimler, the Times reported. The car, which is a favourite of Queen Elizabeth II, may be remodeled into a super- luxury version to rival Bentley and Rolls- Royce — funded from a kitty of a billion pounds earmarked to develop new models at Tata- owned manufacturing units in Britain.

The paper said Tata’s plans, which include selling these cars to rich customers in Britain, Asia, Russia and the Middle East, had the support of analysts. It quoted analyst Garel Rhys of Cardiff University as saying: “Tata could make a very good job of this, especially if they target the space between where the top of Jaguar’s current range ends and where manufacturers such as Bentley kick in. Daimler has a fantastic heritage.”

Luxury cars fly in ‘ recession- hit’ India

The Luxury car market in India is growing like never before. Sample this: In the first six months sales of luxury cars have almost doubled.

Mercedes

Mercedes India has sold 1,892 cars in the country compared to 2,491 cars sold last year.

BMW

BMW has sold 1,323 cars in the first five months, which is almost equal to the 1,387 cars the company sold during the full last year.

Volkswagen

The Volkswagen group has managed to sell 810 premium cars of its two brands Audi (470 units) and Volkswagen (340 units).

Audi

And Porsche is aiming to double the tally of its car sales this year by selling over 200 premium cars.

Clearly, financial sector meltdown and the consequent wealth erosion hardly seem to be dissuading buyers of high-end cars in India, even as the global luxury car makers pump in huge resources to lure the Indian customers.

“If you look at the segment we are operating in, price sensitivity of the product is not an issue,” says Kurt Rippholz, head, communications, Volkswagen India.

To this Dr. Wilfried Aulbur, chief executive officer and managing director, Mercedes India, adds, “Back in 1995 when we started operations in India, we were optimistic about the potential that India held and we are now convinced about it.” And why not?

According to the 2008 Wealth Report by Merrill Lynch Cap Gemini there are around 1,23,000 millionaires in US dollar terms in India. Also, the country has a significant number of young, rich and enterprising people in smaller cities who are spoilt for choice. And manufacturers are strutting their products to lure them.

Bentley

So, the top- end luxury cars such as Bentley and Lamborghini, which cost upwards of Rs 2 crore, and that can only sell around 25 and 10 cars, respectively, for exclusivity sake, have industrialist buyers queuing up — for four to six months — to get their cars. But it’s the entry- and mid- segment luxury cars that are selling like hot cakes among the class aspirants.

Lamborghini

This year till June, Mercedes sold 1,000 C-Class cars ( Rs 25 lakh onwards). In fact, in March alone, it sold over a 100 Mercedes S-Class cars ( Rs 70 lakh onwards).

Maybach

BMW sold 666 cars of its 5 Series and 355 units of its Series 3 cars upto end- May this year.

BMW

Last year Audi sold 107 units of its Q7 model while Porsche sold around 90 cars of its Cayenne model. “Along with corporate sales that are pushing the sales of these premium cars, aspirational sales are fast picking up.

Interior of a Rolls Royce

Professionals in their thirties who have a global lifestyle and hail from smaller towns are the main customers in this segment,” says Aulbur. And to sell these new cars, companies are expanding their distribution network thick and fast. New dealerships are being set up in Tier II, III cities.

There is a sizeable population of Mercedes cars in cities such as Kolhapur, Ludhiana, Madurai, Coimbatore and Kochi.

Volkswagen, in its second phase of expansion opted for cities such as Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Ludhiana for their dealerships and Porsche is looking at potential new dealerships in Punjab. “We are trying to have 120 distribution dealerships in the next three years as we expect a growth of 250 per cent in the Indian auto market over a period of ten years,” says Kurt. And he is not alone; Audi is planning to take the tally to 11 dealerships from the existing seven by the end of the year.

Porsche

Porsche is looking at having nine dealerships by 2010 from the current two and is also looking at building a steady relationship with Indian customers. So, it’s zip, zap zoom time ahead for the luxury car market in India.

Audi to launch sports car R8

GERMAN luxury car manufacturer Audi would launch its acclaimed sports car R8 in India in October- November as it seeks to build the brand in the Indian market, a top official of Audi India said.



“ We will launch R8 in October- November in the last quarter. We already have the first order ( in India),” Audi India vice president, marketing, Martin Birkner said in Bangalore.



Audi sold 350 cars in India in the calendar year 2007 and has a target to nearly triple that number, mainly driven by sales of A4 sedan that was launched in India this month.

“ As we target sales of 1,000 cars in India by the end of this year, the new Audi A4 will be a crucial product to help us achieve this goal,” Birkner said. Audi, which commenced business activities in India in 2007, is keen to build the brand here, where the luxury car market has seen rapid growth, particularly in the April- June quarter.

“ We have more or less launched the brand in India last year. We have to build up the brand and we would like to push the brand ( in India),” Birkner said.



Audi’s model range in India comprises A8, Q7, A6, A4 and TT. Birkner said Audi expects to sell 1,000 units of A4 within a year of its launch, indicating that the sedan would be a main driver of growth for the company in the near term.

Prices of the new Audi A4 start at Rs 29 lakh ( ex- showroom Mumbai without CST, transportation) The company sold 470 cars in the January- June period of 2008 and with Audi, A4 will definitely cross the 1,000- mark.

Audi builds its A6 model at its Aurangabad assembly plant and plans to do the same with A4, which is currently being imported and would be completed by October.