Audi Initiates Local Production of its A3 Sedan in India

 It seems that the German luxury car maker Audi is putting all its eggs in one basket for its upcoming A3 sedan. According to official reports, Audi has already started local production of the model from VW group firm Skoda’s Aurangabad plant.

 The A3 sedan will be the first model from Audi which will be locally produced even before being officially launched in India. This comes as a surprise as all the initial car models by the automaker giant, which are now produced locally, were imported as completely built units(CBU).

 The Audi A3 distinguishes itself as a great-handling, attractive sedan with an upscale interior and luxury features not generally expected in this segment. A 170-hp 1.8-liter turbo four with front-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic transmission are standard. For the avid drivers who like to be in total control of the car, it’s going to be a disappointing news that the manual variant is not available. Though, optionally they have given a 220-hp 2.0-liter four with a six-speed auto and Quattro all-wheel drive.

 Audi says that it has maximized the interior space by moving the front wheels forward by about 1.5 inches. This comes as pleasant news considering the earlier variants were a bit of a squeeze in comparison to their competition in the market. They also said that they have added pre-collision restraint prep, simulated torque vectoring on the front wheels via its anti-lock brakes, and a passel of optional safety technology, including blind spot monitors and adaptive cruise control, so as to ensure and improve the safety of their passengers.

Bullish on the potential of the A3, Audi India Head Joe King said, “We believe that the launch of this car would see us further consolidating our market share and strengthen our leadership position”.

Explaining the reasons for producing the A3 in India even before it is launched, he said: “The market potential coupled with the world-class infrastructure in the plant, efficient working processes, qualified workforce and a well-developed logistics environment were the factors that motivated us to expand the product portfolio at the Aurangabad plant”.

Considering, the Audi A3 has been a huge success and was voted ‘World Car of the Year’ globally, in 2014 Audi sure hopes to make the same mark in India as well. With the intention of displacing the other contenders in the segment such as the 1 series from BMW and the A class and B class from Mercedes with prices starting from just above Rs 20 lakh, we’ll just have to wait and see if the A3 actually lives up to its expectations.

By Varun Mohan