Say Hello to the new No.2 in the Luxury segment : AUDI

In the January - March quarter of the current year, Audi has taken the position of the No.2 selling luxury brand in India from Mercedes. BMW, of course, has been leading the pack for the last 2 years. Mercedes sold 2,130 units in the year thus far, against the 2,269 units of Audi and 2,369 for BMW. 

And that's even before the Audi Q3 compact SUV's launch! We expect the Audi Q3 - the company's cheapest SUV in the market - to add another 200 units a month at the minimum. While the Q3 will only extend Audi's lead over Mercedes, there is a fair chance that the four-ringed brand might emerge as the No.1 luxury car player in India. 

Audi and BMW entered the Indian car market a full decade after Mercedes, in the year 2007. Audi & BMW's approach to the market has been extremely aggressive, with a wide product range and some stripped-down variants. Mercedes had definitely gotten complacent. As an example, Mercedes' answer to BMW's 5 year all-inclusive service packages is still pending. Additionally, Audi & BMW are perceived as younger brands, compared to the more mature three-pointed star. The Indian market's newfound fascination with SUVs has also been better served by Audi & BMW. 

At the end of the day, this fierce level of competition will only make things better for us, the customer!

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