Audi has started production of its luxury-class SUV, the Q7, at its Aurangabad plant. Up to 1,000 units of the Audi Q7 will be built here each year for the Indian market. Following on from the A4, A6 and Q5, the Q7 is the fourth model to be built in India by the Ingolstadt carmaker.

The newly constructed Audi hall at the group plant of Skoda Auto India, which covers a floor area of 20,000 square metres, will the production of the Q3, slated to begin from mid-2013.

"Local production of the Q7 means Audi India is now building a second Q model locally. That will reduce waiting times for our customers and we will be able to offer a wider range of versions in the market," explained Michael Perschke, head of Audi India. This move comes as part of Audi’s long-term growth strategy for the Indian market which it feels is one of the most promising auto markets in the world.

Increasing demand from Indian customers for the Audi Q3, Q5 and Q7 SUV models has had a major impact on the brand's growth in India. Over the first 10 months of this year, the carmaker has increased its sales in the Indian market by 55 percent to 7,273 units, having already surpassed its record sales total of 5,511 cars for 2011.

At dealer level, too, Audi is steadily building up its nationwide presence in India. There will be 25 dealerships throughout the country by the end of this year. New showrooms have opened in Kanpur, Goa, Navi Mumbai, Coimbatore, Delhi West, Nagpur and Bhopal over the past few months.