Audi India has not seen growth in sales in 2019. The company managed to sell 4594 vehicles last year and that was a decline of 29 per cent when compared to 2018. This at a time when BMW had sold 9000 and Mercedes-Benz India too sold more than 10,000 units. While the reason for this decline was majorly attributed to no new products being introduced by the company. However, 2020, was to be a year which would bring Audi India the much required growth, which is why at the very beginning of the year, the company launched the all new Coupe SUV – the Q8 and of course the much awaited new generation of the A8. Having recently launched the RS7, the company is now gearing up to launch the RS Q8 very soon.
Also Read: Audi RS7 Launched In India
Audi launched the new generation of the RS7 in India in July
But the coronavirus pandemic has hit business hard and hence there are a few strategies that need to be changed. While it's been a tough first half, the company is not backing down with its strategy for India and new cars are very much part of it. While there's good news that the company's product portfolio will swell, but it will still see a de-growth in 2020 and it's not until 2021 that it expects to see a change. In an email interview, Balbir Singh Dhillon, Head of Audi India, told carandbike “We anticipate the luxury car market to see signs of positivity from the upcoming festive season in India. However, for a year-on-year perspective, we see growth starting from the year 2021 onwards. As far as 2020 is concerned, the automotive industry has lost a significant volume during the pandemic, which is not recoverable; we are no different. Hence, we also see a de-growth in our overall volumes for the year.”
The next car to launch in India is its fastest SUV ever - the RS Q8
Though not a lot is expected in terms of sales numbers for 2020, the company is still looking to push for new cars in the country this year. Balbir said, “We have successfully launched four all new products in India – the Audi A6, Audi Q8, Audi A8L and the Audi RS 7 Sportback – all of which embody the very best of Audi. Without giving too much away, we have a busy pipeline of product launches across categories, body-styles and even technologies.”
