Audi embarks on 2.0, eyes to double market share in three years in India

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German luxury car maker Audi is embarking on its 2.0 in India to regain lost ground and double its market share from the current 8% in the segment in three years.

“We are heading towards a very, very exciting time for the coming years. We are bringing one of the strongest product offensives. We would want to double our market share, which is about 8%, in the next three years,” said Balbir Singh Dhillon, Brand Director, Audi India, in an interview.

He said this will be done on the basis of three pillars of strength: the products, the network, and customer experience.

The company, which launched only one product since the beginning of this year, has lined up three new products.

These include the all-new Q3 SUV scheduled to be launched on October 16, which will be followed by the next generation Audi A5, which will come in the first half of next year. And the third car would be the Audi Q9 SUV, the biggest SUV the company has ever made.

He said the company is expanding its network from 29 showrooms to 40 by the end of next year and 50 by the end of 2030.

“The idea is to reach closer to the customers. We are also renovating all our showrooms,” he said.

“For our customers we want to give them the best experience. So all our processes, all our physical experience that customers will have in our showrooms will also be enhanced,” he added.

Talking about the past, though the volumes had reduced in the recent years, he said the company managed to build a solid connection with its customers over the last five years.

“So, every third car that we sell today in India is being sold to our existing customer. So that’s the kind of loyalty that as a brand we enjoy with our customers,” he said.

The company’s Audi Approved pre-owned cars business has also got traction with over 20,000 pre-owned cars sold cumulatively.

“Last year we sold about 4,510 cars, new cars. But for every new car that we sold, we also sold one pre-owned car. So actually, we sold about 9,000 pre-owned and new cars put together. So that is a strength that we’ve built over the last five years,” he emphasised.

The company is also working to introduce a new electric car, but the model and timing are yet to be finalised.