German luxury marque Audi aims to aggressively push new models into the market, so that the gap between itself and contemporaries, such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz can be reduced.
Audi took a total of four years to bring its high end RS range of vehicles into the market. However, as per Sales Chief Luca de Meo, the top-of-the-line variants for the RS range will be sold within the next two years. Audi’s RS range of vehicles has larger engines and all-wheel drive, as compared to the regular models. For instance, the 560 bhp power rated Audi RS6 Avant, which is about three times the price of the base model that produces 177 bhp of power. Supporting the manufacture of such vehicles, de Meo said, “There is very much potential around the world for sporty and dynamic cars.”
Auto maker Volkswagen owns the Audi brand and this accounted with half of Volkswagen's 11.5 billion Euro profits. Four different models of the RS group are expected to be launched in India in near future, namely RS6 Avant, RS5 convertible, RS Q3 Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and RS7 Sportback. It will help the company in building stronger brand base in the high performance premium auto market of the country.
If the resale value of the vehicle is high, car makers are able to offer smaller monthly lease payments in order to own the vehicle. The value for resale depends on the projected sales value upon ending of the purchase agreement. Since Audi is already a name that is synonymous with luxury in the global automobile world, there does not seem to be any problem in such vehicles being launched by the company. It will be interesting how Audi battles with BMW and Mercedes-Benz, in a race to become the top luxury car maker in India.
