Audi

In the rapidly progressing auto-market of India, where demands for cars belonging to almost every existing segment are on an all time high these days, the relatively new class of compact sports utility vehicles is emerging as one of the hot favourites of the country's youth, which constitute a major part of the buyer population today. The result: manufacturers of these compacts are rolling in gold! Having encompassed a remarkably wide streak of shades within itself over the extremely short span of its existence in India, the compact crossover segment has a lot to offer today, right from the smart yet affordable models like Renault Duster to the electrifying but big-ticket ones like BMW X1. Just last week, the segment welcomed two new and extremely exotic members to its group – the petrol version of Audi Q3 and the latest facelift of BMW X1. Belonging to the fiercest rival clans ever, there's no doubt that these two cars are going to prove serious threats to each other's customer-banks. But to what extent: we find out.

Exactly a day before the scheduled launch of the 2013 BMW X1, the rival clan of Audi India has rolled out the performance-packed Quattro Petrol version of its immensely successful crossover, Audi Q3, fuelling the already raging inferno of competition between the top luxury-providers of the country. Introduced last year in a diesel version on the 6th of June, 5 days within which the car had clocked in an impressive sales of over 500 units, the luxury SUV from Germany was yesterday launched in its high-performance 2.0 TFSIq petrol model. With this new model now part of the dashing fleet of the youngest Q, the Audi Q3 can provide its admirers with the opportunity to choose between the efficiency of oil-burners and the incredible performance of petrol-consumers according to their preferences, which is sure to boost its sales curves further upwards. The Audi Q3 price for the new model has been marked at Rs 27.37 lakh (ex-showroom, Maharashtra), and its competition list now includes some very prominent names like BMW X1, Mercedes Benz B Class and the soon-to-arrive Volvo V40 Cross Country.

When you are a fan of cars, frenzied attraction for supercars is something that comes naturally, and that is something that you can do nothing about, resisting the captivation of these breathtaking beauties being way beyond man's power. What does somebody do then when a whole party of these charming rides surrounds them, their enthralling energy charging the very air around? That is the question that those fanatics would be able to answer who have spent the last weekend living their dreams, spending two whole days in the company of electrifying super cars from across the planet at the Parx Supercar Show 2013. Organised in the Mayanagri Mumbai from the 26^th to the 27^th of January 2013, the fifth edition of the leading supercar show of India had not only the famous Mahalaxmi Racecourse, which was the event venue, but the entire city turned into one big show of glamour and flamboyance. Starting from the German Trinity of Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz, which rules the Indian luxury market, to global leaders like Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin, all the big brands of the luxury car industry participated in the motor show. From this massive gathering of wonderful rides, we bring you a select group of those cars that truly had the show on fire.

At a launch ceremony organised in the National Capital yesterday, Audi India, the Indian wing of the celebrated auto-manufacturer from Germany, launched the next generation of their super sports car range, R8, amidst a lot of excitement and anticipation. Introduced globally back in 2006, this gorgeous line of cars has been around for more than 6 years now, making this facelift all the more necessary for this captivating series to keep its admirers just as strongly bound by its spell over the coming days as they have been for all these years. A pack of three variants has been rolled out this time, comprising of the 2013 Audi R8 V8 Coupe, the 2013 Audi R8 V10 Coupe and the 2013 Audi R8 V10 Spyder, priced at Rs 1.34 crore, Rs 1.57 crore and Rs 1.73 crore (ex-showroom, New Delhi) respectively. With this fresh revamp, the Audi R8 gets to sharpen its enthralling features that were imparted to it about half a decade ago by quattro GmbH, the subsidiary company of Audi AG that is known for its high performance creations. Mainly defined by a much faster acceleration and a more alluring outfit, this new generation of super cars highlights the idea of sporty aggression.

The 2013 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) is in full swing for the past three days in the beautiful Detroit city of the state of Michigan, and the German camp of Audi is having a gala time at the event. Participating this year with a group of three electrifying rides, the auto-giant has had the attention of every visitor, media and manufacturers alike, to itself ever since the show kicked off on the 14th of January. With the 2014 Audi R8, Audi RS 5 Cabriolet and Audi RS 7 Sportback effectively setting the stage ablaze, it has been a show of outrageous flair and contagious flamboyance at the Audi stand in the Detroit Show.

Starting with the Audi RS 7 Sportback, which is truly a gem of a car, the ride comes flaunting a mighty 4.0-litre, V8, bi-turbo petrol mill that can pump out an impressive 552bhp at 5700rpm while offering a top speed of 205kmph, the fun part being that the speed limit can be stretched to mind-boggling marks of 280kmph or even 304kmph on demand. What adds more value to this exotic package is the fact that it is not just the speed limit that is being pushed to extremes here, even fuel-efficiency is on an all time high in this car, as per Audi car standards, reaching up to a mark of 10.20kmpl. The bookings for this enticing ride, which is also the fastest four-door coupe of the German fleet, are likely to commence during summer time this year while the real deal is being expected to hit the roads towards the later half of 2013 in the United Kingdom.

After that long and tantalizing wait, Audi India has finally rolled out the updated model of its enticing compact Sports Utility Car, Q5. Breaking the covers for the first time at the Paris Motor Show last year, the latest version of Audi Q5 was launched today at a starting price of Rs 43.16 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi), which exceeds that of its existing model by Rs 1.5 lakh. But in return for the extra wad of cash that this new version demands, it has got a whole lot of exciting cosmetic as well as mechanical upgrades to offer its buyers, proving itself absolutely worthy of their hard-earned money.

Some car brands know exactly how to impress, and THAT is not limited to just their cars. And setting such an example is Audi India, who recently added another state-of-the-art facility to further strengthen its presence in the domestic market. The company recently announced the inauguration of its state-of-the-art service facility in Delhi West – the first facility with integrated approved plus concept. This is the third facility for the brand with the four rings in Delhi/NCR. The facility was inaugurated by Mr. Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India and Mr. Tarun Kapoor, Managing Director, Audi Delhi West (Sterling Vehicle & General Sales Pvt. Ltd). Michael Perschke said, “Our philosophy of ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ is not just about advanced technology, but also about the flawlessness and excellence we endeavor towards our service standards. Audi car prides itself globally and in India for impeccable service principles and a third service facility in Delhi reveals this commitment to Audi owners. After sales service is a key part of our growth strategy and we base a big chunk of our success in India so far to our workshops which strive towards customer delight.” He further added, “The opening of the third facility in Delhi also points out to our growing popularity in the Northern region. This is a very important market for us and inauguration of the largest service workshop here signifies our seriousness towards our customers here.”

Looks like Audi has no intention of leaving any stone unturned when it comes to endowing their cars with the best of what today's technology has to offer. First the German luxury car manufacturer introduced the very exclusive Audi SQ5 diesel SUV, and has now gone ahead and extended its trend of frugality to include the new Audi RS 6 Avant as well. The company has down-rated the Audi RS 6 Avant's engine for more frugality, which continues to maintain the same power and performance. And now that the all-new Audi RS 6 Avant has been officially unveiled — it will need just about 3.9 seconds to dispel any doubts about its downsized V8 TFSI engine. Looking as hot as a station wagon can possibly be, it has been gathered that the new Audi RS 6 Avant's engine bay now houses the 4.0-litre TFSI V8 with two twin-scroll turbochargers, which is capable of cranking out 552 bhp and almost 700Nm of torque – that latter figure available from just 1,750 rpm. This will get folks driving the car and their cargo from 0 - 62 miles per hour in a matter of only 3.9 seconds. Audi basically replaced the big 5.0-litre twin-turbo V10 TFSI with the smaller and more economical 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 TFSI, hence, making the car more frugal with potential mileage figures of up to 12.24 kmpl. Other than that, its speed-relevant performance stats make it faster than a Porsche 911(it takes 4.1 seconds to reach 62mph) and put it on par with the Ferrari California, which is capable of getting to 62mph in just 3.8 seconds. However, as enticing as that may sound, the aforementioned stats have put the company at the receiving end of criticism for many believe that there is no need for a family car to be as fast as that.

Audi has earned itself quite a name for bringing out the best of technology in the most luxurious car you will ever lay eyes on. And as famous as the brand is its 'S' model range of cars that is generally a 'Sport-y' version of a car built around the platform of one of their flagship cars. And via the process of 'sporting' up their flagship cars, the German luxury car manufacturer thereby gives its audience an enhanced version of the same. Though the production of Audi 'S' series cars began way back in 1990 with the S2 Coupé, Audi loyals never thought their would ever be an Audi S car in diesel. But looks like the company is in no mood to leave no stone unturned in its endeavours to impress its audience all over again. The company has now brought out a not only much powerful, but also a very thrifty variant of the the famed S-Class of cars. Yep, you heard it right. Audi has finally opened the bookings for the very first diesel powered SQ5 in UK, which will be available with a price tag of about Rs. 38.95 lakh. The company claims that the deliveries for the Audi SQ5 will start by the spring of 2013.

When it comes to flaunting their superiority, Audi believes in going all out! The most recent example being its new dealership in Dubai, UAE. Setting a rather extravagant example of their rapid growth and innovation, Audi cars opened a new dealership in Dubai, its largest showroom in the world. Christened the ‘Audi terminal Dubai’, the facility covers about 15,000 sq metres across six levels. But hold, that’s not the most interesting part. What really awed us was how the German auto manufacturer fashioned and showcased this premium dealership. Slated to open its doors to customers on December 3, 2012, the dealership’s structure was constructed by Audi’s local dealer, Al Nabooda Automobiles. Interestingly, the dealership has been made to look more like an amusement park instead of a car dealership. The dealership was inaugurated by Luca de Meo, Member of the Board Management, Audi AG for Sales and Marketing, and K. Rajaram, CEO, Al Nabooda Automobiles. Pop singer Jennifer Lopez was also present at the occasion. The celebrations started with K. Rajaram pressing the symbolic Audi ignition button. What followed soon was a visual spectacle of Al Nabooda Automobile’s story, of its growth in Dubai in the last four decades, and also of its association with Audi.  K. Rajaram said, “In terms of sales, UAE is the most important market for Audi in the Middle East. The Audi terminal represents an AED 118 million investment by Al Nabooda Automobiles into the future of the Audi brand and delighting our customers in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.”