German luxury car manufacturer Audi has announced that by the end of this year it may cross sales of over 10,000 units. The company officials also mentioned that this can be mainly attributed to new product launches and to the fact that it has been striving hard to seek sustained growth in the Indian automobile market through network expansion. Remarking about the growth rate of the company, senior officials hinted that during the time period between January and September, the car maker had grown by 15 per cent in terms of sales. Notably, a total of 7391 units were sold during the aforementioned time period as against 6417 units in the corresponding time period of previous year. Joe King, who heads Audi India, seemed to express his content, when he said, “We are confident that we will be the first luxury car manufacturer in the country to cross sales of 10,000 units in a calendar year.”
Audi India, one of the leading luxury car makers, has tried to impress customers with an expanded range of high-end premium luxury vehicles. The list of new products that have been launched this year so far includes names like new Audi A4 sedan, new Audi S6, new Audi RS5 and Audi Q3 S edition. Apart from this, the auto maker has also started the production of a sports utility vehicle tagged as Q3 in India last month. This will further add to the list of locally assembled models that already include likes of Audi A4, Audi A6, Audi Q5 and Audi Q7.
Besides product range, Audi India is also willing to expand on the network front in the country. At present, the auto company has 27 dealerships, but it is planning to close the year with 34 dealerships across India. Commenting on the network expansion, King said, “We continue with our expansion strategy on the product and network front. We have strengthened our product portfolio with new engines...We will also open three new dealerships in October.” Notably, as the remark hints, the company will have 30 dealerships in the country with three more incoming in October 2013. This clearly indicates that the auto company is advancing ahead with a vision to grab more market share in the luxury car segment.
Customers and car enthusiasts in the country are increasingly favouring high-end luxury cars for want of more features, stylish appearance, excellent interiors, enhanced comfort, space and power. The pick-up and acceleration aspects of luxury vehicles are also on the higher end. So, domestic customers are willing to spend that extra dime to get themselves a luxury car. This gradual drift in the Indian automobile market is being reflected in the form of spiced-up competition among various luxury car markers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. New products are being launched along with the introduction of new facelift versions on the back of success of respective car models. Audi India, too, does not want to lag behind and therefore, is expanding its product range and network in the country through some aggressive planning and implementation.
