Audi gets back some of its lost shine with EVs, gears up for launch

• German luxury car manufacturer Audi has reported a 49% growth in sales for Jan-June period this year, compared with last year.
• The global COVID 19 pandemic reversed growth in luxury car sales by almost seven years in India. However, there has been a trend recovery in automobile sales.
• Audi is now gearing up to launch its flagship sedan - the Audi A8 L, in India on July 12.

Luxury carmaker Audi is gearing up to launch its flagship sedan - the Audi A8 L, in India on July 12. This move comes after its sales for the first six months of the year grew at a healthy 49% over last year, thanks to new product launches, and demand for its Audi e-tron range, Audi Q5, Audi Q7, Audi A4, Audi A6 and S/RS models.

This growth has taken some sting off the dismal sales seen in luxury cars for the last couple of years. Luxury car sales had peaked in 2015 selling 31,000 units in India, but has been on a downtrend since then.

During the peak of the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020, Audi’s India chief had said that the luxury auto sales would take two to three years to reach the levels it witnessed in 2014-2015.

While it’s a long way there, there has been a trend recovery in automobile sales in general over the last one year — rubbing off on luxury car sales too.

The German auto major Audi on Friday said that it has retailed 1,765 units in the January – June 2022 period, buoyed by electric vehicles.

“We continue to lead the charge with our electric vehicles - the Audi e-tron 50 and 55, the Audi e-tron Sportback and Audi e-tron GT range. Our petrol-powered portfolio including the Audi Q5, Audi Q7, Audi A4 and Audi A6 are doing good numbers and our S/RS models continue to shine with a strong order bank for 2022,” said Balbir Singh Dhillon, head of Audi India.

The company plans to launch its flagship sedan, the Audi A8 L in India on July 12, 2022.

The German automobile manufacturer is also focusing on expanding its pre-owned car business in India. Currently operating with 16 ‘Audi Approved: plus showrooms’ across all major hubs in the country, Audi India is aiming to launch four new pre-owned car facilities by the end of 2022.