Audi begins Q5 assembly in India, A8 luxury saloon by December 2010
Audi India has began assembling its compact SUV Q5 in India. Audi has been assembling the Audi A4 and A6 luxury saloons in India and the Q5 is the third model that Audi is assembling in India.
The Audi Q5 main selling point is its classy styling and sporty stance. The Q5 is a perfect alternative to the executive luxury saloons like the Mercedes Benz E-Class and the BMW 5-Series and even stablemate Audi A6.
Frank Dreves, Board Member (Production), Audi India -
The production of the Q5 is part of our long-term growth strategy in India. The Indian market for automobiles will grow very rapidly, and the Q5 is the right automobile at the right time.
The Audi Q5 is doing extremely well in the luxury car market with relatively no competition. The BMW X3 is completely outdated, the Volvo XC90 is very pale and lacks prestige, Land Rover Discovery and Freelander are relatively unknown and Mercedes Benz doesn't even have a Q5 rival.
Audi sensed the opportunity and has began local production of the Q5 at a very crucial time. With this Audi would be able to cater to the needs of luxury car buyers faster and the costs of the car could come down and hence boosting sales ultimately. The Volvo XC60 which we spied recently at an Indian dealership could pose a minor threat to the Q5 when launched.
The Audi Q5 is also pulling customers from the Mercedes Benz E-Class and the BMW 5-Series. Customers would buy the Audi Q5 over the new E90 BMW 5-Series which has a waiting period of nearly 3 months.
The Audi Q5 comes with 2 engine options, a 2.0 TFSI petrol and a 3.0 TDI diesel. All Q5s come with Quattro all wheel drive. Audi is also planning to offer more powerful and efficient engines for the Q5 in future.
The company is planning to bring the latest Audi A8 super luxury saloon to India by the end of this year. The Audi A8 would rival the Mercedes Benz S-Class and the BMW 7-Series.
Audi is currently offering 7 models in India, the A4, A6, old A8, Q5, Q7, TT Coupe and the R8 supercar.
Audi Official Press Release -
Audi begins assembly of the Q5 in India
Jul 7, 2010
Audi has started assembly of the Q5 model in Aurangabad, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. In the future, up to 1,500 units of the Q5 will run off the assembly line there each year for the Indian market. The sporty SUV is the third Audi model after the A4 and A6 to be produced in India, increasing the production volume of the company with the four rings in India this year to more than 2,400 units, compared with 732 vehicles in the preceding year. Altogether Audi has produced around 2,000 cars in India since the start of production in September 2007. By 2015 up to 6,000 units will be rolling off the line each year.
“The production of the Q5 is part of our long-term growth strategy in India,” says Frank Dreves, Audi Board Member for Production: “The Indian market for automobiles will grow very rapidly, and the Q5 is the right automobile at the right time.” Final assembly of the Audi Q5 takes place in five work cycles on two assembly lines alongside the A4 and A6 at the Volkswagen Group’s Aurangabad plant.
Last year also saw Audi significantly expand its line-up of engines for the models produced at the Aurangabad site: The Audi A6 sedan has been available with a 3.0 TFSI gasoline engine since March 2009, and before then customers could already choose between the 2.8 FSI, the 2.7 TDI and the 3.0 TDI. In July, an entry-level version of the A4 sedan with a 1.8 liter TFSI engine was introduced. It rounds out the previous engine line-up, which for the A4 also includes a 2.0 TDI and a 2.0 TFSI unit. Audi is currently offering the Q5 with a 2.0 TFSI and the 3.0 TDI engines. Further efficient engines will follow shortly.
Audi has been represented in the Indian market for four years now. In the spring of 2007, a separate sales company based in Mumbai was opened to manage all Indian market activities. In addition to the locally produced Q5, A4 and A6 models, Audi also offers its Indian customers the Audi A8, Q7 and TT, as well as the R8 supercar.
Image source: Auto Evolution
