AUTOMART INDIA - Audi A6 takes on Merc and BMW in luxury launch...

Looking to cash in on th of luxury cars in India, German giant Audi on Wednesday launched the car that it expects to reel in the buyers next year -the A6. The vehicle, pitched against the BMW 5-series and the Mercedes E-class at the heart of the luxury car segment in India, has a starting price of R37.7 lakh going up to R47 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
“The A6 is critical for us from the point of view of volumes and we have high expectations from it,“ said Michael Perschke, head, Audi India. “We have sold 3,145 cars between January and July -a 93% growth over last year -without having a major volume model for the better part of the year. We will do as well if not better for the rest of the year and close the gap on our nearest rival substantially.“
Luxury car sales have grown in high double digits in the first half, though overall industrial growth has dipped to 8%. Over the last 5 years, the luxury car market has expanded by an average 64% per year.
“The luxury segment is stable and not much affected by high inflation or interest rates,“ said Perschke. “Our customers are already established and well settled. With them the need to upgrade supercedes any negative impact of high fuel cost or interest rate.“