New Audi A3 likely to be showcased at Auto Expo 2014

Audi India, the well appreciated German auto maker, is planning to expand its product portfolio with the launch of A3 sedan. Industry experts are of a view that this model will help the brand with four rings to consolidate its position in the luxury car segment of the Indian auto market. Other contenders of this segment are Mercedes-Benz and BMW, which have also performed exceptionally well owing to their compact cars, namely A-Class, B-Class and 1 Series.

Sources close to the development process have revealed that the model is expected to be showcased at the Auto Expo 2014, which is scheduled in February. Expressing his views on this development, the Head of Audi India, Joe King told to TOI, “We are evaluating the small sedan market and believe it is the right car for the Indian market. Being a young dynamic company, we can imagine a quicker timeline than 12 months. We feel that that lower segment is better suited to a sedan variant and are evaluating the opportunity to bring a variant into that segment. We are very much focused on our strategy. I firmly believe that if we do everything right the result will be that we are No. 1.”

On one hand Mercedes-Benz and BMW launched premium hatchbacks to entice Indian buyers at a competitive price, the top brass at Audi feel like hatchbacks priced more than Rs. 20 lakh do not offer a correct value proposition. Speaking on consolidating the position of Audi in the Indian auto market, he further said, "The luxury segment continues to grow and the indications are that it is growing somewhere around 8-9% this year. We are growing at 15 percent so it is again a fantastic achievement and it shows in many ways that we have got it right. We are clearly No.1 now and will be the first luxury car manufacturer to cross the 10,000 sales in the year.”

Sources have hinted that the upcoming A3 will be priced in a bracket of Rs. 20 lakh and Rs. 25 lakh. On the ground of technical specifications, the car will feature two engine options, namely 1.8-litre petrol and 2.0-litre diesel. However, the configuration of these mills are yet not known, but are anticipated to be performance oriented. When asked about the future plans of Audi India, King said, "I think it is great to see how people really aspire to get ahead and have a really positive view for success. So that's been the most striking view.”