Audi A3 expected for 2014 launch

Since the luxury car market in India is faring quite well at present, German manufacturers like Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have been constantly adding new vehicles to their car portfolio in the country. In the entry level segment, all the companies have introduced their vehicles, in order to gain a sizeable chunk of market share. In a recent development, it was learnt that Audi might be introducing its A3 sedan in India by 2014 as reports suggested that the car is currently in the testing phase. The sedan version of A3 is already on sales in major European markets and is expected to be unveiled in India at the 2014 Auto Expo.

According to sources, the upcoming A3 sedan shall be positioned under the entry level compact car Q3 S, which will make it the cheapest offering of the company in India. Commenting on the prospects of A3, Joe King, Head of Audi India, was quoted as saying “We are studying the market closely. I believe the A3 sedan will be a very exciting car for India. The success of Q3 shows the market's growing appetite for such cars. I am still not certain though if it is ready to pay such a high price for a small car for now a sedan works best."

Reportedly, Audi might be offering A3 sedan in several engine options, namely 1.4-litre and 1.8-litre TFSI in addition to 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre diesel. While for transmission, Audi might stick to the 7-speed S tronic and 6-speed manual gearbox options while offering A3 sedan in India. Talking about the dimensions of global production model of A3, it is 4460 mm in length, 1796 mm in width and 1416 mm in height, while the wheelbase has been kept to 2400 mm. All these figures translate A3 into being 170 mm shorter, 19 mm wider and 19 mm lower as compared to Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan.

As believed by the industry experts, A3 sedan will be offered with same features as given in the European specification model. In global markets, the car comes loaded with features like Audi's Drive Select system, two zone climate control, new multi-media infotainment and multi-functional steering wheel. However, it is said that Audi might omit certain premium features of A3 sedan, in order to price the model aggressively. A thing to note here is that A3 is available in a hatchback version, besides the sedan one in major international markets. However in India, Audi has ruled out any possibility of introducing the hatchback version of A3, as of now.

In terms of price, the upcoming model is presumed to be placed from Rs. 23 to Rs. 30 lakh as the entry level Q3 S costs around Rs. 24.99 lakh for the base variant. On the other hand, the range of Mercedes-Benz range starts from Rs. 22.12 lakh for entry level B-Class while BMW 1 Series is offered at Rs. 20.9 lakh. It must be mentioned that Audi recently overtook BMW in luxury car segment and is now facing a stiff competition against Mercedes-Benz. During the past months, Mercedes-Benz edged out Audi by a little margin in term of sales. Commenting on this, King added "Being number one is not the end, we came in late but caught up with the others very fast. Now it is time to consolidate. We are not in the business of discounting or buying market share as that destroys the brand. Profitability is equally important."