Audi India lost its No.1 crown to Mercedes Benz in Q1 2015 with 3,181 units sold as against 3,566 units sold by competitors Mercedes Benz India during the same period. Mercedes Benz has seen a 40% increase in sales as compared to sales in the same period in 2014, while Audi registered growth of 16.09%.
However, this exponential growth of Mercedes Benz India in the Q1 2015 period does not dampen Audi India’s spirits. They are confident of regaining pole position by the end of this year, with 10 new launches in the offing and expansion of dealerships on the cards. BMW India, currently in No.3 position has refrained from declaring its Q1 2015 sales figures.
Audi India has just launched its new RS7 Sportback at INR 1.4 crores, while 2015 Audi RS6 Avant is to be launched in India on June 4, 2015. With these new and upcoming launches, the company is confident of growth by double digits during the year and aims at once again becoming No.1 among German automakers by end of the year. Audi India commands a market share of 34% in the Indian luxury car market. Limited edition R8 LMX and new TT Coupe will also contribute to enhancing brand image of Audi in India.
It has been since 2012 that Audi India is at a No.1 position when it overtook German automakers BMW. In FY 2014/15, Audi continued in lead position selling 11,292 units, registering an increase of 11.51 percent during the fiscal year, while Mercedes Benz registered sales of 11,213 units with an increase of 17.5 percent.
This year, Audi India plans dealership expansion in 2015 from a current 61 to 76 dealerships and service facilities across 35 major cities. The company’s model range spans from A3 sedan, its major crowd puller, to A3 cabriolet, A4, A6, A7 Sportback, A8 L, Q3, Q5, Q7, S4, S6, RS 5 Coupe, RS 7 Sportback, TT Coupe, R8, R8 Spyder, R8 V10 Plus and R8 LMX. Audi operates from its Aurangabad plant which has annual capacity of 14,000 units. Compared to this, Mercedes has enhanced capacities at its Pune plant to 20,000 units annually, while BMW India’s Chennai plant has installed capacity of 14,000 units per annum.
