Q3 S, the manual variant of Audi’s compact SUV was first introduced in India back in August 2013 at a starting price Rs 24.99 lakhs. This not only made Audi Q3 the only diesel luxury car on offer; but also the most affordable.
Q3 S attracted more new customers to the brand; but as the production capacity was limited, many were left waiting for months. The situation was such, that some customers who went to book the Q3 S in August 2014, were told that the car was sold out for the year!
The reason for this shortage was that Audi had a capacity to assemble a very few number of manual variants as compared to automatic variants. Speaking to Economic Times, Mr Joe King, Head, Audi India said that if they were making making 100 Audi Q3 SUVs, 90 will be automatic and only 10 will be manual.
But, realizing the rise in demand for the Q3 manual variant; Audi has increased its production capacity by more than double of what it used to be. This will bring down the waiting period considerably.
Audi Q3 local production in India commenced in September 2013.Apart from this, Audi India is all set to announce a significant new phase of investment; which will see them increase their production capacity even further. For now, Audi India has a production capacity of over 10,000 units annually which can go up to 14,000 units annually on a single shift.
Mr King did not reveal exact details of the quantum of investment. But he did confirm that it is significant and warrants a separate occasion.
Also Read – 2015 Audi Q3 Review
Earlier this month, Audi’s main rival in India, Mercedes Benz announced the start of new production line which has increased their production capacity to 20,000 units a month. Is Audi planning to increase their capacity more than that, only time will tell.
