With Q5 on the wings, Audi India expects strong business growth in coming years

German automaker Audi expects its business in India to remain robust over the next few years as the company looks to expand its sales network here and add new products to its portfolio including more electric vehicles, a top company official told PTI. Audi is gearing up to launch the new Q5 SUV in the country and expects it to positively impact sales this year as well as next year.

Audi has shifted its entire product range in the country to petrol and electric vehicles since April last year, and has launched as many as eight new products in the Indian market in the first nine months of the year. The new version of the Q5 SUV will be the carmaker's ninth product this year.

In the first nine months of this year, the German automaker has witnessed a sales growth of around 123 per cent when compared to the same period of last year. "In the same period, the rest of the luxury car segment in the country has grown by 41 per cent," Audi India Head Balbir Singh Dhillon told PTI.

He revealed how the company had gone through a dip cycle when it was transitioning from BS 4 to BS 6 emissions regime but now things are back on track. “Now we are getting our pie back and I am sure that once we launch the Q5, the impact on the sales is going to reflect positively," Dhillon said. The company expects to grow in high double digits this year and the next year.

Dhillon also acknowledged the challenge put across by the global semiconductor shortage. The company is witnessing more demand than it can supply currently. However, Audi is looking at managing the situation optimally and expects a high growth with new product launches in 2022 as well.

Audi is also working on enhancing its sales network by establishing workshops, doubling its approved showrooms from seven to 14 and having around 30 dealerships in the country. However, there would also be an equal focus on the digital channels of the company so as to combine the benefits of both physical and digital.

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