The German luxury car manufacturer, Audi, on Monday unveiled its much awaited super sports car Audi R8 5.2 FSI with high performance V10 engine in India and planned to expand its product line this year.
Unveiling the product, Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India, said the company was entering 2011 by reinforcing the brand's position as a leader in the performance car segment. The new product was a unique sports car icon built for enthusiasts.
Priced at Rs. 1.35 crore (ex-showroom Chennai), the V10 engine is built of aluminium in the Audi space frame design.
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The V10, which is to a large extent a new development, exploits a total displacement of 5,204 cc and is designed to rev up easily. The specific power output is 100.9 hp per litre of displacement. And every hp only needs to propel 3.09 kg of weight, because the high-performance sports car in the version with the manual transmission only weighs 1,620 kg.
Mr. Perschke said the company was the fastest growing luxury brand in India. It was also planning three big launches this year. “This year, we will continue to offer our customers in Chennai and across India a dynamic product line coupled with world class services,” he said. A-8 model would be launched in January-February this year, followed by A-7 in May-June and A-6 by the fourth quarter of 2011. The new launches would enable Audi to capitalise on opportunities in the growing Indian market, he said.
K. Subramanian, CEO, Audi Chennai, said the Chennai showroom was the world-class facility. Spread over 20,000 sq. ft., the showroom was based on the unique Audi terminal concept with the honeycomb aluminium façade on the exterior.
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With a display area that can accommodate 12 Audi cars, the showroom would display the entire range of Audi cars available in India. Audi Chennai would also house an Audi Shop and the Audi Exclusive Elements, where customers can order customised products and purchase a variety of Audi branded merchandise. It would also manage the exclusive Audi service facility, located at Ambattur near here. The 22,000 sq. ft. Ambattur facility had a capacity to service 30-35 cars a day on 17 bays.
Jubiliant Motors represents Audi in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
On sales performance, Mr. Perschke said Audi achieved 1.1 million car sales globally. In India, it sold 3,003 units in 2010, against 1,658 units in 2009.
He also said the company was increasing dealer network in Tamil Nadu. It was also planning to open showrooms in Surat, Indore, Ludhiana and Nagpur. He said “We are not only covering top States but also steadily we are entering these cities to reach our brand.”