The Indian auto market has seen a rapid growth in terms of launches by global players in terms of tailor made vehicles specifically suited for the Indian market. it has also seen huge investments by different firms in setting up of their assembly units or expansion of such units to increase its market presence. Now, very recently the German auto maker owned by Volkswagen, Audi India has announced that it will be setting up a new assembly plant in Aurangabad in Maharashtra. Audi is gearing up to introduce more and more models in the Indian market to rival its competitors, BMW and Mercedes Benz.

The new assembly facility upcoming in Aurangabad will start producing the Audi Q7 and Audi Q3 models. The Q3 model has been developed by Audi to rival the BMW X1 and is expected to be launched in the Indian auto market soon. a senior executive commented that with the start of production of the Q7 and the Q3 this year, the annual capacity of the plant will realise to 8000 units. The company is highly hopeful on the success of the Q3 in the Indian market and is evident so in the words of Mr. Michael Perschke, Head of Audi India who stated that the Q3 would be bread and butter of 2012 for the company.

The company also has plans to introduce one new model in the Indian market segment. to re-iterate this mission in India, Audi had also showcased the Q3 at the Auto Expo. It is expected to be priced at Rs. 20 to 30 lakh range. The company will also be bringing in other models like the A4, the TT and the S6 in the near future. Not only is Audi focusing on introducing new models alone, it is also simultaneously expanding its dealership network with plans to enter placed like Nagpur, Bhopal, Lucknow and Goa.

7th January,2012 is drawing nearer and all the auto manufacturers, Indian and foreign are gearing up to showcase their products and technology at the 2012 Auto Expo to held in Delhi from 7th to 11th January, 2012. Recently the German luxury car manufacturer, Audi revealed its plans for the 2012 Auto Expo and apparently it seems Audi is going to cater to every type of visitor that is going to be present at the occasion. At one end, it will be showcasing the Q3, compact SUV while at the other, the R8 Spyder.

The Q3 will be debuting in Indian market by mid 2012 and Audi plans to showcase the model at the expo as a part of it. The Q3 will be having 2 engine options, the 2 litre TFSI petrol and the 2.0 litre turbo diesel. The TFSI petrol churns out 211 BHP of power while its diesel sibling produces 176 BHP of power. The R8 Spyder with its 5.2 litre V10 engine is definitely going to one of the show-stoppers at the Expo so make sure you don’t miss out this car by any chance. Apart from these, Audi is also going to showcase its RS5 and the performance version of the A6, the S6. The S6 is powered by a 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8 that produces 414 BHP of power and can reach to 100 kmph in just 5 seconds. From its hybrid portfolio, it is going to showcase the A3 E-Tron concept that houses a 1.4 litre TFSI motor producing 211 BHP of power coupled to a 27 BHP electric motor. Sadly, the A4 facelift expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2012, will not be making it to the Auto Expo.

The advent of Formula 1 is making more and more luxury and sports car manufacturers ponder into the options of setting up a performance driving academy or conducting customer driving experiences to give a feel to the customers about performance of their models. After Mercedes announced that it is going to set up a Performance Driving Academy at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, it’s time for Audi to follow suit. Similar to Mercedes, Audi will also be making the Buddh International Circuit as its base for conducting its driving experience campaigns to give a feel of their entire range of cars to its customers including the Audi R8 under the supervision of trained instructors.

Audi has plans to conduct this programme for up to 30 days in a year and is also planning to foray into more motorsport activities. Similar to the Polo Cup, Audi is planning to run its own one-make motorsport activity called the S4 cup, the Audi S4 being the performance variant of the A4. After VW, Mercedes, Toyota and Caterham Audi joins the list of manufacturers who are entering into motorsport activities to promote their brand presence in the Indian market. Toyota has also confirmed to run its one-make Etios cup from 2012 under its performance brnad, Toyota Racing Development (TRD). Audi Germany recently conducted a test to select instructions for its customer driving experience program and competition drivers Gaurav Dalal, Rohitaaz Kumar, Prithveen Rajan and Scirocco Cup ace Aditya Patel have been chosen for the task.

Audi is betting big on the Indian car market. The German automaker is not only going aggressive with its product plans for the country, but is also planning to treat Indian customers to an array of technology at the upcoming Delhi International Auto Expo in January, 2012. The company plans to showcase a few concept cars at the biennial event but has not divulged which ones yet. This approach is very different as most of the cars which the company plans to showcase won’t make it to Indian shores in the near future. On the other hand, companies like Mercedes-Benz plan to showcase cars which are relevant to the Indian market.

Audi is relying heavily on its new light weight technology called Ultra. The new Audi A6 is the first of the light weight cars from the German automaker. The company has started the use of aluminum and carbon fiber to cut down weight and improve performance and fuel economy of its cars. Another technology known as Connect, which is the company’s new infotainment system. At the Auto Expo, the company will also showcase the A3, new A4 and Q3 compact SUV. The A3 will not be launched till the end of next year but the Q3 and new A4 will make their way to Indian shores in the first quarter of 2012. Hopefully Audi wil showcase the A1 and receive good enough response to contemplate an Indian launch.

Audi India has announced that they will be gifting an Audi to Yuvraj Singh for winning the man of the series award at the 2011 Cricket World Cup. The German automaker had gifted Ravi Shastri an Audi 100 in 1985 after his Champion of Champions performance in Wolrd Championship of cricket against Australia. Yuvraj, a big BMW fan owns an M3 and M5 and has won a Ford Fiesta in 2005 for being the player of the tournament. He was also gifted a Porsche 911 by Lalit Modi (the VC of BCCI) after he smacked six 6′s in an over. The complete Indian cricket team will also get the 2011 Hyundai Verna. Now that is alot of cars, we wonder what will Yuvi do with his Fiat Grande Punto 90hp?

“Audi India decided to keep the tradition alive and rekindle the fire of victory. The memory of the 1985 victory lap in the Audi 100 continues to live on in the minds of Indian cricket fans even today,” Audi India said.

Audi India has opened the largest luxury car showroom in the country in New Delhi today. The two storey facility is spread over 30,000 sq. ft. on Mathura road and can display 20 cars at a time. The new sales and service facility was inaugurated by Audi India head Michael Perschke in the presence of bollywood actor John Abraham. Boasting of 16 service bays, the Audi Delhi can service upto 25 cars a day. Audi plans to expand its dealer count to 18 by the end of 2011.

Audi is well known for its innovative advertisements and with the new “The Audi Spectacle” campaign it might just trump them all. The Access ad agency has Audi reinventing the concept of the billboard, with its famous four rings taking over some of the worlds most iconic landmarks such as the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, Tower Bridge in London and the Rialto Bridge in Venice. The life size installations are just at the concept stage and might not even make it to production.

Source – Autoblog

Audi India has announced the opening of its new showroom in Jaipur. Spread over total area of 7800 sq. ft. the facility is based on the unique Audi Terminal concept with the honeycomb aluminium façade on the exterior. With a display area that can accommodate 8 Audi cars, the showroom will display the entire model range of Audi cars available in India. The showroom will also house an Audi Shop and the Audi Exclusive Elements, where customers can order customised products and purchase a variety of Audi branded merchandise.

“I am delighted to announce the opening of our new showroom in Jaipur – the capital of royalty and luxury. Rajasthan, the land of Maharajas, has been setting the standards for luxury in India for centuries. We see a huge potential for growth in this market and are happy to have found the right partner in Kamal Autotech. Their rich experience of over 75 years in auto retail and their royal associations across the region makes them the ideal partners for Audi in Rajasthan,” Michael Perschke, Head (Audi India), said.

The service facility, located at the same site, is spread over an area of 7500 sq ft as per Audi standards and a total of 6 bays have a capacity to service 10-12 cars per day. The technicians, trained by Audi, ensure the proper use of approved repair equipment, tools and technologies to meet Audi standards. Audi India is focused to expand its network in India. This year the company opened new showrooms in Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru while Delhi, Chennai and Ludhiana are on the horizon.

Audi India has inaugurated its new showroom in Mumbai (West) in the presence of Bipasha Basu, a proud owner of the Audi Q7. Spread over total area of 18,000 sq. ft. the showroom is based on the unique Audi Terminal concept with the honeycomb aluminium facade on the exterior. With a display area that can accommodate 12 Audi cars, the showroom will display the entire model range of Audi cars available in India. Audi Mumbai West will also house an Audi Shop and the Audi Exclusive Elements, where customers can order customised products and purchase a variety of Audi branded merchandise.

“India is a key growth market for Audi in the region. We have undertaken an intense growth strategy to expand our dealer network and offer an energetic product line and world-class services to our customers in India. Audi is focused on strengthening its national footprint to 18 locations by end of 2011 to cater to the fast growing demand for luxury automobiles in India. We are confident that our performance this year will mark the beginning of a new era for Audi in India.” said Andre Konsbruck, Executive Director Region Overseas, AUDI AG.

In addition, Audi Mumbai West service facility located at CST Road, Kalina, Santacruz (East), Mumbai, has been operating since March 2010. Spread over an area of more than 40,000 sq ft, the service facility has a capacity to service 22 cars per day and an additional capacity of 6 bays for accidental care. The technicians at the facility are trained to ensure that services provided to customers meet Audi globally established standards of quality. This world-class service facility as well as the newly opened showroom, reinforces Audi India’s commitment to Audi owners in the city.

German auto giant Audi plans to introduce a second shift at its Aurangabad plant in Maharashtra and aims to double its sales by 2015. The company is very positive as it has already surpassed last years sales in only the first seven months of the year and targets to sell 2700 cars in 2010 as compared to 1658 last year and plans to sell 6000 units by 2015.

The luxury car market in India is dominated by Mercedes Benz and BMW and Audi does not intent to compete with the top two as far as volumes are concerned.

“We would prefer to be the most aspirational brand rather than a market leader in volumes. We were the last to enter India, but the growth has been faster than expectations” – Michael Perschke, Audi India

Audi is all set to launch its flagship sedan, the A8, by the end of this year and market study of its new A7 sedan is also underway. The company currently assembles the A4, A6 and the Q5 at its Aurangabad plant while the Q7 is imported as a CBU.