Audi A4 launch by Sept: Joe King

HERALD: How do see the Audi market in Goa and what are your plans for the State?

JOE KING: Goa is an important luxury car market. We are the current market leaders in the luxury car segment with a market share in excess of 35% in Goa. We have always accorded a high priority to this market. Our presence in Goa goes back to 2012 when we opened our dealership in the State.  

We constantly engage with our customers and prospects in Goa through unique customer connect initiatives. We regularly organise interesting events for our Audi Club India members in Goa. Audi Club India is a first of its kind initiative in the luxury car industry in India, an exclusive ‘Audi owners only’ community, Audi Club India is designed as a platform for Audi customers to come together, interact with like-minded individuals and enjoy a host of benefits. 

The Audi Club India had last year organised a drive where customers from various parts of India drove to Goa. Audi India also regularly organises unique driving experience programs like Audi Q Drive, Audi Weekender, etc. among others in Goa for existing customers as well as enthusiasts who want to be a part of the Audi family. 

HERALD: Why would one buy an Audi?

JK: Audi has been the preferred choice of luxury mobility for car enthusiasts in India. The year 2015 has seen another year of growth for us and we remained focused towards our aim to provide the best luxury car buying experience to our customers. Unique initiatives like the Audi Mobile Terminal brought the showroom right to the customer’s doorstep, especially in tier II and tier III cities, where we received a huge and a positive response from the customers who are significantly contributing to the transformation of the luxury landscape in India. This coupled with a robust dealer footprint, wide product range and on top of it a very motivated and committed team ensured that our growth is sustainable and we are here for the long run. 

HERALD: When will you launch the Audi A4? 

JK: The all-new Audi A4 will be launched in the first half of September. The Audi A4 has been a volume car in the diverse portfolio of Audi and the all-new Audi A4 will give impetus to brand’s continued push on growth. The all-new Audi A4 is a fascinating synthesis of technology and esthetics, all the technology has been redeveloped in the car so that it yet again defines the benchmark in the segment.

HERALD: What are the special features in this new car?

JK: The car accelerates from 0-100 in 8.5 seconds and has a top speed of 210 kmph. It boasts of fuel consumption of 17.84 Kmpl (ARAI Certified). The all-new Audi A4 offers an abundance of intelligent technologies, the use of which is even more intuitive with the new Audi MMI display and control concept. Technological highlights of the new Audi A4 include the Audi virtual cockpit, the Audi LED headlights with rear dynamic indicators, the Audi smartphone interface and the Audi phone box with wireless charging. 

HERALD: Many of the car manufacturers are now targeting smaller cities in India. What are you plans?

JK: Apart from new launches like the all-new Audi A4, the company is buoyant about a strong response from smaller cities of India as well to contribute to growth. Although the base is smaller, in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities the growth rate is around 20-30% for the brand. 

As a strategy to reach more customers in smaller cities, Audi last year introduced the Audi Mobile Terminal, a fully functional mobile showroom designed to provide a full Audi experience to customers - whether in a metropolis or a smaller city.