Audi, the well-established German luxury auto maker, ambitiously announced on 13th April 2012 that the company has signed an agreement of 3 years with Aditya Patel, a young motorsport driver. The company has ensured that Patel will participate in a team, known as Pro-Handicap e.V., in the upcoming challenging VLN endurance series, which is scheduled in Germany. While becoming a part of this series, it will provide a global racing exposure to Patel, which is currently required by the motorsport driver. Moreover, this event will also provide a title to Patel of becoming a first Indian to participate in the 24 hours of Nürburgring.
Pro-handicap e.V is a diligent team, which holds in-depth expertise and is well known for their reliable cars. The sports model, Audi TT is known for completing 24 hours of Nürburgring in all the 7 times, the team has participated. In addition, the team has examined the potential and skills of Patel and thus, he will take part in his first 4 hour survival race, which is scheduled for 14th April.
Commenting upon the scenario, Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India, said, “Audi has a rich history in international motorsport and has produced many greats over the years. The talent pool of race car drivers in India is growing rapidly and we plan to develop young racers by providing them with the right opportunities to make a career in international motorsport. Aditya is a talented racer and our support to him is a testament to that vision.”
The motorsport career of young driver started at just an age of 14 with the JK Tyre National Racing Championship, which was held in 2001. With dedicated support and consistent performance from JK Tyre, Petra Energy and MAS Holdings, Patel eventually developed and emerged as a part of VW Polo R Cup and the VW Scirocco R Cup, which was held in 2011 in Germany, where he grabbed 5th rank.
With the assistance of long term sponsors, JK Tyre and Audi India are stringently working to develop a remarkable course for Patel. As a part of plan, these companies will provide him an opportunity to mark his presence in various global racing stands in Audi performance models. The array of Audi’s performance models in India ranges from newly launched Audi TT to the Audi R8, a super sports car.
In 2011, Audi Group registered consolidated sales of 1,302,659 units, which proved quite lucrative for the company. During the year, the company generated profit of €44.1 billion, while operating revenue of €5.3 billion. Audi is currently engaged in producing vehicles in Neckarsulm (Germany), Győr (Hungary), Ingolstadt, Changchun (China) and Brussels (Belgium). The company produces its Q7 in Bratislava (Slovakia).
For Indian perspective, Audi initiated its first production plant in Aurangabad through which the company started the production of its A6 by the end of 2007, the Audi A4 in early October 2008, the Audi Q5 in July 2010 and the new Audi A6 in June 2011. At the company’s Brussels facility, production of Audi A1 is carrying on since May 2010, whereas the manufacturing of the new A1 Sportback started in 2012. On the other hand, since June 2011 the Audi Q3 is manufactured in Martorell (Spain).
In the current scenario, Audi has marked its presence in over 100 markets internationally. The completely owned subsidiaries of AUDI AG’s includes AUDI HUNGARIA MOTOR Kft., Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. in Sant’Agata Bolognese (Italy), AUDI BRUSSELS S.A./N.V. in Brussels (Belgium) and quattro GmbH in Neckarsulm. Currently, the company employs near about 64,000 workers on global platform, including around 48,000 workers of Germany.
Audi is planning to invest of sum of around €13 billion between 2012 and 2016 in the expansion of manufacturing capacities and new products of the company. However, the company is currently engaged in expanding its plant in Győr (Hungary) and by the end of 2013, the company will start its operations in Foshan (China).
