Monday 16 September 2013

Audi A3 to make inroads in India by 2014


In a country like India, sedans have always caught the attention of car buyers. The triplet of German car manufacturers, namely Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, have dominated the scene of luxury car segment in the Indian auto market. As Indian car market has a potential to grow at a good rate in future, the car companies now seems to be banking on grabbing a sizeable chunk of market share, so as to survive longer in the ever competitive market. Over the years, the competition between the three has increased and the companies have been actively launching their new vehicles in India as soon as they make their international debut.

Car manufactures like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have already launched their numerous sedans in the Indian car market. In this trio of German auto makers, Audi seems to be capitalising most on the market demand by offering a new sedan in India. If rumours are to believed, Audi is in the pipeline to launch its A3 model in the Indian market and going by current reports, the car could arrive in early 2014.

It must be noted that Audi A3 made its debut in the European markets since long ago and the car has undergone several changes till now. As told by the sources, A3 sedan will be positioned under the entry level compact car Q3 S. Also, it is being said that under the hood, the car might be provided with different engine options but what seems sure is that the standard 1.8-litre petrol engine will power the A3 sedan. Apart from it, the upcoming model might be provided with a 2.0-litre petrol and a 2.0-litre 150 bhp diesel powertrain.

Keeping in mind that Audi A3 will be provided sans the iconic daytime running LED headlamps and tail lights, the car can end up bearing the tag of being the least priced car of the company in India. Auto analysts say the Audi might be placing its upcoming sedan somewhere around Rs. 25 lakh, in order to offer tough competition against the likes of already established cars of its rivals.

In transmission section, the A3 sedan might be offered in a 7-speed S tronic automatic gearbox in higher end variants, whereas for the lower-end ones the 6-speed manual might make its way. As far as the dimension of the A3 sedan are concerned, the car will be 4460 mm in length, 1796 mm in width and 1416 mm in height, whereas the wheelbase being 2400 mm, if the model launched in global markets makes its way in India. Now with these dimensions, A3 will be 170 mm shorter, 19 mm wider and 19 mm lower as compared to Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan.

Audi's rival Mercedes-Benz is planning to launch its CLA model during the early phase of next year and now with A3, the possibility of clash between the two stalwarts cannot be ruled out. As of now, with A3 sedan making inroads in the Indian auto market while for the sedan version car enthusiasts of Audi might have to wait a little longer.

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