When 2012 Audi A3 Sedan will Launch in India?; New Cars by Audi in India

German automaker Audi could launch the A3 sedan in India by 2013-14, as revealed by Mr Peter Schwarzenbauer, the board member of Audi AG to a team of Indian journalists. The concept on which the production car is based was unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show and is seen as the next big launch that could hot up this segment of the market. It is being speculated that Audi could price the A3 sedan as low as Rs 20 lakh making it the cheapest offering from the Audi stables in India.

Audi will be looking at a turbocharged diesel engine from the Volkswagen family for its A3 sedan in India while the rest of the car could be imported through CKD channels. Audi might rope-in an efficient diesel engine from its sister cars in India. This will be mainly to keep the costs as low a possible as BMW could also be coming with a saloon based on the 1- Series. In terms of dimensions, the A3 sedan is a tad bit smaller than the Volkswagen Jetta but will feature exquisite interior quality, fit and finish like all Audis. The Audi A3 would offer the best in class rear legroom thanks to its wheelbase of 2.63 meters.

What will differentiate this car from the rest is the Audi patent Quattro four-wheel drive system. What engine would go into the A3 sedan is not yet clear however, the concept car that was showcased earlier boasted a 408 bhp and a peak torque of 500 Nm. All this oomph would dart the A3 sedan concept from 0-100 kph in 4.1 sec. The engine is bolted to seven-speed S-Tronic slush box. This could as well make into the production model that is on its way to India. Like the Audi, BMW’s 1-Series sedan could also sport a seven-speed dual clutch transmission however, this is plain speculation as no official word has been received yet.

Audi Q3 Crossover Specification and Features

Come early 2012, Audi India will usher in the Audi Q3 Crossover, their challenger to the hot selling BMW X1 and so said, Mr Peter Schwarzenbauer, the board member of Audi AG, at the Audi Lounge in LeMans to the assembled audience of Indian motoring journos even as Audi clinched the LeMans 24 Hours race, ahead of a quartet of marauding Peugeot Diesel LeMans sportscars.

Along with the announcement, a few more details about the India bound Audi Q3 were revealed which makes for some interesting news. The Audi Q3 will be priced higher than the BMW X1 by around 2 Lakh Rupees. Now, this could be because Audi India hasn’t yet changed it’s engine and transmission assembly to suit the 10% CKD duty with the 30% duty still being applied due to Audi not assembling engines and gearboxes in India.

So, that could be the prime reason for the higher cost of the Q3, which we think should be lesser than the X1, if Audi really is serious about making a dent on the X1′s sales. The Audi Q3 Crossover will be assembled at Auranagabad from CKD kits and will be priced at about 24 Lakh rupees for the base variant. Both petrol and diesel engine options will be available with both the Quattro as well as the fuel and cost saving option of front wheel drive being made available for the Indian market.

This said, the 140 Bhp, 2 liter TDI Diesel engine could be the lowest entry level variant with the front wheel drive system as this is the engine Audi will use globally for all front wheel drive Q3s. So, Audi India seems to be doing it’s best to offer the Q3 at a competitive price to give a tough fight to the BMW X1. Whether it is successful in what it intends to do is something only time will tell. Meanwhile, get set for the Q3 to blaze new trails in India come 2012.

CLICK HERE to see price, images & launch date of Audi Q3 Crossover

When Audi Q3 Crossover SUV will launch in India

The much anticipated Audi Q3 Crossover SUV, which is Audi India’s challenger to the BMW X1 Crossover, could arrive into India early next year. This information was revealed by Mr Sirish Chandran, the editor of the Overdrive magazine. Apart from when the Audi Q3 will be launched in India, no other information regarding it’s price or the engine range has been revealed thus far. 

The Audi Q3 meanwhile is Audi’s entry level offering designed mainly to serve as a crossover that will be at home on Indian roads and their myriad range of imperfections like potholes, badly designed speed breakers and various other impediments to smooth motoring. In essence, a larger hatchback like size along with ease of manouverability could make the Audi Q3 a great bet in the crowded Indian conditions.

Coming to the other aspects of the Audi Q3, in all probability, the crossover will be brought into India as a CKD to be assembled at Audi’s Indian manufacturing facility to ensure that the automaker is able to price the Audi Q3 competitively in the Indian market, in which the BMW X1 is doing very good numbers. The Audi Q3 is priced at 29,900 Euros in Germany, which is around 8-10% more than the BMW X1.

A cheaper and more frugal front wheel drive, 140 Bhp, 2 Liter TDI diesel engined version of the Audi Q3 will be made available to various markets in the future as a low cost, fuel efficient variant, and it would be very interesting to see whether Audi India would dare to dump the Quattro all wheel drive layout for the cheaper front wheel drive keeping cost considerations in mind.

Engine options globally for the Audi Q3 include 2 liter TFSI petrol engines with 170 and 211 Bhp respectively while the 2 Liter TDI common rail diesel engine is rated at 170 Bhp. Considering the X1 has a 180 Bhp 2 liter diesel motor in India, the Q3 arriving with the 170 Bhp, 2 Liter TDI engine would be the best bet currently.

So, early 2012, perhaps during 2012 Indian Auto Expo is when Audi India will bring the Audi Q3 into India. Let us hope that Audi India takes a leaf out of BMW India’s book and begins assembly of engines and transmissions in India to ensure that it is able to keep the CKD duties at 10% instead of 30% for a more competitive price point for it’s CKD products.

Audi Launch Audi A1 hatchback for India & New A6 and Q3 SUV are next Audi Cars in India

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.

2012 Audi R8 GT Spyder Price, Specification and Feature; Sports version of Audi R8 (Audi R8 GT Spyder)

The Audi R8 is one of the most desirable sports cars of the decade. Audi came up with the idea of making a hardcore version of the popular sports car and thus the R8 GT was born. Now, the standard R8 could be described as a civilized supercar that could be used everyday for trips to the shops except for your weekend groceries. The R8 GT is a supercar that has been designed to give the driver a taste of what its like behind the wheel of a race car rather than a low-slung exotic that would only be used on a Saturday night drive to the pub.

In short, the Audi R8 GT is a lightweight supercar with a V10 heart that wants to go round the Nurburgring every time you strap yourselves in the ultra lightweight racing seats. Now, with the Audi R8 GT Spyder, you can even enjoy the glorious V10 howl as you tackle the Nordschleife. The V10 bloodhound pumps out 560 bhp which is 35 bhp more compared to the standard V10 powered R8 Spyder.

The Audi R8 GT Spyder with its jumped up V10 and feather weight construction, takes it from standstill to 100 kph in 3.8 seconds. The lightweight supercar will reach speeds upto 317 kph if offered with a straight but of tarmac that is. Of course, Audi has had to put the R8 Spyder on a strict diet to achieve these figures. Audi engineers have managed to shave 85 kg off the R8 Spyder. This might not sound much but it has definitely turned the R8 Spyder into hardcore race car, almost.

Carbon fibre has been used to keep the weight in check. Secondly, aerodynamic upgrades including the signature R8 GT spoiler has been added for rear downforce. Up front, a dual lip spoiler helps with front end grip. The car now has to do with less sound isolation which is a good thing and thinner glass again to keep the weight of the car to the minimum. Apart from the usual standard buts and pieces, a very racer car-ish built-in lap timer has been added.

Like the coupe, the Audi R8 GT Spyder will be a limited edition offering with only 333 examples on the roads. So, you would think, owning one would mean shelling out a considerable amount of cash and you would be right as this car costs €207,800 in Germany.

Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro Concept at Worthersee festival, held in Reifnitz, Austria

Every year, fans of the Volkswagen Group get together at the Wörthersee festival, held in Reifnitz, Austria. Each year, Volkswagen creates  a unique concept for their fans. This year they went berserk with the all new Audi A1 supermini. Its called the Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro and it is definitely a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Don’t be fooled by the cute looks because this small city car packs close to 500 bhp. That’s right, 500 horsepower in a car the size of a supermarket trolley. It employs the same 2.5 litre 5 cylinder engine from the Audi TT RS and the Audi RS3. In standard guise, the 2500cc motor delivers up to 330 bhp. In the Audi A1 Clubsport, the Audi engineers have added a bigger intercooler and a redesigned exhaust. Add to that higher boost pressure and you have a monster of an engine.

All these modification result in a power boost of 166 bhp to 496 bhp. Thankfully, Audi engineers have fitted the A1 Clubsport with their patent ‘Quattro’ four wheel drive system without which handling all that power would’ve been impossible. The four wheel drive system has had an effect on the weight of the car but who care, when you’ve got 500 horses doing the job of lugging. The car weighs close to 1400 kg giving it a power to weight ratio of around 357 bhp per tonne.

Power delivered to all four wheels via a six speed manual transmission which employs a tweaked multi plate clutch from the Audi TT RS. Performance figures, as you’d expect would make most supercars look dull and boring. Audi claims, the Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro can go from standstill to 100 kph in 3.7 sec but, unfortunately, like all Audis the A1 Clubsport too is limited to 155 mph/ 250 kph.The car also features adjustable suspension and 19 inch wheels. Brakes are carbon ceramic which is actually a good thing as, with all that power under the hood anybody would carried away.