Audi India rolls out Q3 S at Rs 24.99 lakh

Audi India has launched the new base version of its baby SUV -- the Q3 S. Despite the rupee depreciating rapidly in recent months and hitting a record low of Rs 62.47 to a dollar earlier today, the German carmaker has retained its promised price of Rs 24.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the Q3 S SUV.

Online bookings for the Q3 S kicked off soon after Audi India launched the car, 21 bookings coming up in 21 minutes and the first 10 winning a special off-road style package.

The Q3 S will be available at all Audi dealerships across India from end-August. Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India, said that 150 SUVs will be available over the next 2-3 months with the company optimistic about selling 50-80 cars a month. He also announced Audi’s aggressive growth plans in India saying that it will launch one new model every 4-6 weeks. He is confident that despite the market slowdown, Audi India will continue to maintain its leadership in the luxury segment. Perschke said that Audi is gunning for sales of 10,500-10,800 cars in calendar year 2013.

The Q3 S comes with a 2.0-litre diesel engine which develops 140bhp in the S trim as opposed to 177bhp in the regular Q3, and is driven by a front-wheel-drive layout mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Standard equipment includes leather seats, cruise control, voice dialog system, climate control, MMI with Bluetooth connectivity and 18-inch alloy wheels amongst others. What’s missing though is the trademark Audi daytime running LED lamps.

Audi hopes to pit the Q3 S against the likes of other German compact luxury offerings such as the Mercedes-Benz’s A- and B-class and the upcoming BMW 1-series, which will launched in India on September 3.

Audi India has recorded 19 percent sales growth in the first seven months of this calendar year, selling a total of 5,551 cars between January-July 2013 (January-July 2012: 4,680 cars). In July, it sold 705 cars, a growth of 4 percent (July 2012: 680 cars).

“The first half of the year was truly successful for us as our focused growth strategy enabled us to continue positive growth even as market remained under pressure. The second half of the year has again started off for us on a good note. However, we did not show our full potential due to some supply constraints, but we are confident of maintaining growth despite a price hike across models. We are consolidating our leadership on a solid foundation of clear customer promise, expanded product offering and strengthened dealership network,” said Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India. Audi India, which is aggressively driving its sales gameplan, plans to expand its sales and service network to 34 dealerships across India by end of this year.

SHOBHA MATHUR