AUDI A3 SEDAN INDIA LAUNCH BY 2014

German automaker Audi could launch the A3 sedan in India by 2013-14, as revealed by Mr Peter Schwarzenbauer, the board member of Audi AG to a team of Indian journalists. The concept on which the production car is based was unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show and is seen as the next big launch that could hot up this segment of the market. It is being speculated that Audi could price the A3 sedan as low as Rs 20 lakh making it the cheapest offering from the Audi stables in India.


Audi will be looking at a turbocharged diesel en

gine from the Volkswagen family for its A3 sedan in India while the rest of the car could be imported through CKD channels. Audi might rope-in an efficient diesel engine from its sister cars in India. This will be mainly to keep the costs as low a possible as BMW could also be coming with a saloon based on the 1- Series. In terms of dimensions, the A3 sedan is a tad bit smaller than the Volkswagen Jetta but will feature exquisite interior quality, fit and finish like all Audis. The Audi A3 would offer the best in class rear legroom thanks to its wheelbase of 2.63 meters.

What will differentiate this car from the rest is the Audi patent Quattro four-wheel drive system. What engine would go into the A3 sedan is not yet clear however, the concept car that was showcased earlier boasted a 408 bhp and a peak torque of 500 Nm. All this oomph would dart the A3 sedan concept from 0-100 kph in 4.1 sec. The engine is bolted to seven-speed S-Tronic slush box. This could as well make into the production model that is on its way to India. Like the Audi, BMW’s 1-Series sedan could also sport a seven-speed dual clutch transmission however, this is plain speculation as no official word has been received yet.

MORE BUZZ ABOUT THE INDIA BOUND AUDI Q3 CROSSOVER EMERGES!

Audi Q3 Crossover
Come early 2012, Audi India will usher in the Audi Q3 Crossover, their challenger to the hot selling BMW X1 and so said, Mr Peter Schwarzenbauer, the board member of Audi AG, at the Audi Lounge in LeMans to the assembled audience of Indian motoring journos even as Audi clinched the LeMans 24 Hours race, ahead of a quartet of marauding Peugeot Diesel LeMans sportscars.
Along with the announcement, a few more details about the India bound Audi Q3 were revealed which makes for some interesting news. The Audi Q3 will be priced higher than the BMW X1 by around 2 Lakh Rupees. Now, this could be because Audi India hasn’t yet changed it’s engine and transmission assembly to suit the 10% CKD duty with the 30% duty still being applied due to Audi not assembling engines and gearboxes in India.

So, that could be the prime reason for the higher cost of the Q3, which we think should be lesser than the X1, if Audi really is serious about making a dent on the X1′s sales. The Audi Q3 Crossover will be assembled at Auranagabad from CKD kits and will be priced at about 24 Lakh rupees for the base variant. Both petrol and diesel engine options will be available with both the Quattro as well as the fuel and cost saving option of front wheel drive being made available for the Indian market.
This said, the 140 Bhp, 2 liter TDI Diesel engine could be the lowest entry level variant with the front wheel drive system as this is the engine Audi will use globally for all front wheel drive Q3s. So, Audi India seems to be doing it’s best to offer the Q3 at a competitive price to give a tough fight to the BMW X1. Whether it is successful in what it intends to do is something only time will tell. Meanwhile, get set for the Q3 to blaze new trails in India come 2012.