Audi's aggressive new-model plan

Not content with merely grabbing the attention of India’s luxury car buyers, Audi is continuing its relentless charge for market share with the launch of several new models in the coming months. First up, and most important, will be the Q3, Audi’s compact SUV that is confirmed for a June 2012 launch. Audi may have lost the first-mover advantage to the BMW X1, but the company is confident that it can claw back lost ground.

In fact, the Q3 has quite a few strengths that the X1 lacks. The most notable being its superior packaging. In contrast to the X1’s rear-wheel-drive layout and longitudinally-mounted engine, the Q3 with its transverse motor offers better space utilisation and is more spacious in the back. While the X1 is rear-wheel-drive, Audi will sell the Q3 at launch only in four-wheel-drive. Company officials say that they want to deliver the full Audi experience, and that means kitting it with a full-fledged MMI system and luxury pack, similar to the A4. Expect the Quattro-equipped Q3 to start at around Rs 26 lakh for the 170bhp 2.0 TDi.

Another SUV from Audi is also on the cards, but this time around it’s from the other end of the spectrum.

 Audi’s Q7 is already well established in India. But Audi still wants to go a step further and launch the insanely quick 500bhp V12 diesel Q7. Audi feels there is a limited market for a vehicle that can lay claim to being the fastest SUV in the country. However, Audi engineers are worried about India’s dusty conditions, since the V12 Q7 has ceramic brakes, which are sensitive to dust, as standard. Hence, the green signal to launch the V12 Q7 still hasn’t been given.

Audi will also continue its policy of offering some of its sportiest cars in India. The superlative RS5, the R8 and R8 V10 have been on sale for some time and Audi’s attractive and affordable sports car, the TT will be relaunched this month too. “We are looking to get the new TT at a very attractive price,” said Michael Perschke, head, Audi India. The 208bhp 2.0 TFSi could start as low as Rs 40 lakh and we could get the range-topping RS as well.

The most significant car for Audi, however, could be the new A3, a car that would almost certainly make it to India as soon as a right-hand-drive version of the yet-to-be-launched saloon is available globally. Also using a transverse engine for space-efficient packaging, the A3 saloon is likely to be a game-changer for the German luxury carmaker in India.