Audi could offer a small, sensible hatchback for its Indian customers in the coming years. Audi has got a varied number of cars in its line-up and only recently the German car maker added to it with the smallest offering of them all, the Audi A1. For now, the company is looking into the various options to enter the lucrative small car segment in India.
The other model from the range that Audi India could be looking at is the Audi A3 sedan. Pricing will be crucial as the Audi A3 sedan could be priced around Rs 20 lakh. Hence, models and pricing will be on top of the agenda when it comes to deciding what small car will be offered to customers in India who are looking for the one of the most well-built premium hatchbacks.
“There is definitely a huge market in India for such cars (compact). We are evaluating various options (to tap this segment). The important questions are what car, at what price and the target segment. Our customers in India are very demanding and want the latest,” said, Mr Anil Reddi, Head (Sales), Audi India.
He was speaking to reporters during the launch of the A7 Sportback in Hyderabad. In Hyderabad, the new A7 Sportback saloon is priced at Rs 65 lakh. Talking about the upcoming launches, Mr. Reddi told reports that the new A6 could be launched in the last quarter of this year.
When asked about the Q3 crossover that will rival the BMW X1, he said that, the Q3 crossover could be launched by the end of 2011 or early next year. So until then at least, BMW don’t have to worry about losing market share to Audi when it comes to the entry level premium SUV segment. With new products planned for India Audi India is also expanding its dealer network with five new showrooms coming up across the country taking the total number of Audi dealerships to 18.
BMW is also planning a similar small car for India but, it is still not clear, if the Bavarians would bring the 1 Series hatchback of the Mini. We think the Mini would be a better bet as it would be placed as a lifestyle vehicle rather than a normal premium hatchback. But again, similar products like the Fiat 500 and Volkswagen Beetle haven’t been sold in numbers. The Audi A1 and the BMW 1 Series do stand a chance given, the automakers price it well.
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