The Indian arm of Audi, a globally renowned German luxury automotive marque, has opened the doors of its brand new retail outlet in Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh. The world class facility, Audi Lucknow, is the company's second unit in the region after the Kanpur showroom that was opened to public in October 2012.
Evidently, the German auto giant is on a dealership expansion spree in the country, as the latest Lucknow showroom is its second newly opened store in 2013. Interestingly, in the current year, the auto maker has already inaugurated an exclusive outlet in South Mumbai. Besides, the company is considering opening 9 more retail outlets in India by the end of 2013. The Audi Lucknow showroom can display nine models at a time and is set up over an area of 12,000 sq. ft., along with boasting off a separate service area of 16,000 sq. ft. The new facility is situated in Sarojini Nagar on Lucknow – Kanpur Road opposite Airport and will be operated by Four Wheels Auto Private Limited (FWAPL).
The Audi Lucknow store was inaugurated by Gautam Garg, Managing Director (MD), Audi Lucknow (FWAPL) and Niraj Srivastava, Head of Sales, Audi India. Further, Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India, also presided over the inaugural ceremony of the company's brand new store in Uttar Pradesh region.
Expressing his delight over the newly opened dealership and the company's expansion plans, Michael Perschke was quoted as saying, “We opened Audi Kanpur in October last year and in less than 4 months; we are opening up a new dealer network point in Lucknow. This displays the importance that we attach to the Northern market. The response to our brand and products has been tremendous and we do not want to be lacking in our efforts in any way in reaching out to Audi enthusiasts in the Northern region. With the opening of this new showroom in Uttar Pradesh, we will be able to further strengthen our foothold in the region and capitalize on the increasing demand for luxury automobiles. We are happy to extend our association with Four Wheels Auto Private Limited and utilize Gautam’s rich market experience to make Audi No.1 luxury car brand in Uttar Pradesh.”
Perschke further added, “We are very confident of our sales growth despite the flat growth in the industry. Our customers aspire to own Audi vehicles and are willing to pay for the pioneering automotive products that we offer. This is the 2nd showroom inaugurated in 2013 and we plan to expand our dealer footprint to 34 showrooms pan India this year. Further plans include another showroom in Noida and Vadodara, among others.”
Commenting on the future outlook with the new facility, Gautam Garg said, “We are proud and confident to make Audi the No. 1 luxury car brand in our market in 2013.” Reportedly, Garg is also the MD of the German auto major's other showroom- Audi Kanpur. At present, Audi is the country's second largest and the fastest growing luxury car maker, and competes with fellow German rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz for dominance in Indian auto market.
