Audi AG has reported the sale of more than 652,950 cars to customers worldwide in the first half of 2011, registering a 17.7 per cent increase in sales over the same period in 2010. Having said this, the company has high expectations from Audi A6 and sees India as an important market, with strong growth prospects for its sales.
The luxury car segment in India has not been affected by high fuel costs or increasing interest rates. Seeing that the Indian market holds tremendous potential for luxury cars, the company has launched New Audi A6 in the country. Regarding the increasing sales, Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at Audi AG said, “India is becoming an increasingly important market for Audi, with unit sales of 2,802 cars over the first six months, and with an increase of 100.1 per cent, India lay well ahead of the main growth markets”. He also said, “In India, mobility is taking shape in the lower segments; the premium market for larger vehicles is now growing continuously”.
Audi A6 is the top-selling model of the German manufacturer, with sale of 54,529 units globally. A total of 3,145 cars have been sold in India between the months of January and July in 2011. Audi will be hoping for the A6 to break new grounds in India in terms of sales volumes. Nevertheless, competing with automobile brands such as Mercedes Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series will be an uphill task, which Audi AG is determined to accomplish.
The company has already begun producing this car in India at its Aurangabad assembly unit through CKD kits. Audi expects to sell no less than 2,000 units a year in India. To achieve this sales figure, Audi A6 will be equipped with a 2 Litre TDI Diesel engine, which is expected to draw attention of Indian customers.
The new car offers Indian customers the option to choose powerful, highly efficient four and six-cylinder power plants. It is equipped with two Petrol engines and two TDI units, with capability to produce outputs between 130 kW (177 hp) to 220 kW (300 hp). All engines make use of technologies from the brand’s modular efficiency platform, which is the innovative thermal management concept, the start-stop system (petrol) and the energy recovery system.
The 3.0 TFSI V6 petrol engine produces 220 kW (300 hp) and has a displacement of 2,995 cc, while the 2.8 FSI V6 produces 150 kW (204 hp) with a displacement of 2,773 cc. The 3.0 TDI V6 diesel engine generates 180 kW (245 hp) and has a displacement of 2,967cc. On the other hand, the 2.0 TDI In-line 4 cylinder produces 130 kW (177 hp) with a displacement of 1,968 cc.
The Audi A6 will be available in the price range of Rs. 37-38 lacs for the 2.0 TDI unit and Rs. 39-40 lacs for the 2.8 FSI. The price range for the 3.0 TDI Q will be between Rs. 46 lacs and 47 lacs. The New Audi A6 can be purchased from the authorised Audi dealers from August 2011.
