CHENNAI: German auto giant Audi unveiled its latest offering, an open-top version of the A3, at its showroom near Nandanam on Sunday.
Speaking to City Express, Twinkle Krishna, vice president – operations, Audi Chennai, said that Audi was looking to capitalise on the positive attitude of customers towards the brand, with its latest offering. “It is the best car on offer across all brands in the convertible segment,” said Krishna.
However, with prices starting from `45.83 lakh, the convertible costs nearly double that of the A3 Sedan. Part of the reason is because the car is sold as a Completely Built Unit (CBU). Krishna added that Audi had no immediate plans to begin indigenous production.
Aditya Patel of Audi India Motorsports threw his weight behind the A3 stating that he was amazed by the model’s endurance. “I was behind the wheels of an Audi A3 sedan for a challenge test at a race track in Coimbatore. The objective was to complete a stipulated distance in under 24 hours. We used a showroom model and what surprised me was that not only did it complete the objective in under 18 hours, but also it held firm. No faults whatsoever,” he said.
The cabriolet comes fitted with a 1.8 litre petrol engine. The car seats four and has a decent boot room but its compactness reduces the leg room.
In managing to sell 700 units of its luxury cars in Chennai last year, Audi now holds nearly 40 per cent of the market share, according to Krishna.
Audi had earlier announced that it had sold in excess of 10,000 units for a second successive year. In 2014, the luxury car maker claimed to have moved 10,851 units, 650 more than its closest rival Mercedes-Benz which also pushed in excess of 10,000 units for the first time.