German car maker Audi India wants to regain its market leadership position in the luxury car segment in the country, according to a top official.
“Now we are number two and we are heading for the top spot, which is clearly our target,” said Rahil Ansari, Head of Audi India, in an interview. “The clear vision is to be back to No.1 because we see us there, we belong there, not in an arrogant way but a confident way. We want to achieve it in a sustainable manner,” he said.
Mercedes Benz India, which was relegated to No.3 position after the entry Audi and BMW in India, had been holding the numero uno position for the last two years after drastically improving its product and service offerings.
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“We don’t have to do it immediately. But once we have reached the top, we want to maintain that leadership,” said Mr. Ansari.
Indicating the company’s resolve and commenting on competition, Mr. Ansari said, “Be prepared to sweat. And we are coming back.”
In 2016, Mercedes India sold the largest number of luxury cars at 13,231 units and in the January-March quarter it sold 3,622 cars, up 1% from the same period last year.
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On Audi India’s sales last year and the January to March quarter, Mr.Ansari said, “For the quarter we had very high targets from our headquarters. We have crossed these targets, we have undergone a double digit growth. We are quite confident of getting our numbers done. We are doing everything to be prepared for the leadership position,” he said.
The company planned to introduce 10 new products in 2017 of which it had already rolled out five.