Best first quarter sales record by Audi India

2010 had already been a great start for Audi India and much has not changed since then. The firm recorded best ever sales of 778 cars for the first quarter of the year 2010 (January to March). As compared to last year’s first quarter, there has been a massive growth of 103 percent. The firm had sold 384 cars in the first quarter of 2009. With the countrywide sale of 220 cars, in the month of March 2010, the firm observed a growth of 36 percent as compared to the sales in March 2009 which was 162 cars.

The Indian line up for Audi car models include the Audi A4, the Audi A6, the Audi A8, the Audi Q5, the Audi Q7, the Audi TT and the super sports car Audi R8. These models are available across eight showrooms in the country including Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Kochi. Showrooms are also set to be open in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai (West), Jaipur, Chennai, Ludhiana. Further developments may include Lucknow, Coimbatore and Nagpur.

Benoit Tiers, Managing Director, Audi India stated, “The first quarter of 2010 has seen record sales for Audi in India as we have continued to make steady growth toward achieving our progressive goals. True to our philosophy of ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’, in the coming months we will focus on enhancing the entire experience of owning a luxury automobile for our customers in the Indian market. This year, our customers can expect new avant-garde and sporty luxury models.”

New Skoda Superb variant launched!

The new Bharat Stage IV (BS IV) norms have come into effect from the 1st of April, 2010. Since much before this, several firms upgraded or replaced their existing models with ones that would be BS IV compliant. Some firms also decided to leave their vehicles BS III compliant, making them unavailable in BS IV cities. In order that the Skoda Superb remains BS IV compliant, the Czech firm launched a new variant of the car in place of its existing variant.

The car will now be powered by a 1.8L TSI Petrol engine mated with a manual transmission system. The car will come with a price tag of Rs. 18.28 lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi) which makes it cheaper by Rs. 1.5 lakh. The new engine is reportedly believed to return a fuel efficiency figure of about 13.14 kmpl.

Skoda Auto India Senior General Manager (Sales and Marketing) Ashutosh Dixit said, "Ever since the launch, the New Superb has won the hearts of over 3000 customers and acquired the No. 1 position in the D Segment, bagging 6 prestigious automotive awards in 2010. The addition of the 1.8 TSI manual transmission to the current range will offer a wider choice to our customers and also allow us to introduce our newest technologies into the Indian market."

Since the car boasts of a MT (manual transmission) system, it will be able to deliver complete engine performance along with an enhanced driving experience. For its range, this addition to the Skoda Superb is first of its kind. the car will be available in a varied choice of colours including Candy White, Black Magic, Diamond Silver, Rosso Brunello and Cappuccino Beige.