CKD Assembly of Audi Q3 Commences in India

Audi India, the Indian subsidiary of VW Group owned premium car maker, today announced that it has commenced the local assembly of the Audi Q3 crossover. With this the Q3 becomes the 5th Audi model to be assembled in India (A4, A6, Q5 and A7 are the remaining four).

Speaking on this development, Dr. Frank Dreves, Audi Board Member for Production, said, “Local production of the Audi Q3 is part of our long-term growth strategy in India, one of the most promising auto markets in the world. The infrastructure in the plant, efficient working processes, qualified workforce and a well-developed logistics environment, along with the growth potential of the Indian market, were the factors that motivated us to expand the product portfolio at the Aurangabad plant.”

The Audi Q3 will be produced in the newly constructed hall at the group plant Škoda Auto India Private Limited (SAIPL) in Aurangabad, which covers a floor area of 20,000 square meters (215,278 square feet). The Audi Q7 is also produced in the same hall.

“Local production of the Audi Q3 means that Audi India is now building all our Q range models locally. This will reduce waiting times for our customers and will enable us to offer a wider range of versions in the market. This move demonstrates our confidence in the success of our Q range, which has positioned itself as a leader not only in the product category, but has emerged as a lifestyle statement. We are confident that we will continue to retain our dominance in the luxury SUV segment in India,” said Joe King, Head of Audi India.

While Audi India has so far refrained from revising the prices of the Q3, we won’t be too surprised to see a price cut for the Q3 being announced in near future.

It may be noted that increasing demand from Indian customers for the Audi Q3, Audi Q5 and Audi Q7 SUV models has had a major impact on the brand’s growth in India: Over the first eight months of this year, the Company increased its sales in the Indian market by 19 percent to 6426 vehicles (January – August 2012: 5406).