Audi unveiled a new gen A6 sedan recently, hoping to dent the luxury executive segment dominated by the BMW 5 series and the Mercedes-Benz E class. Will it manage to go past its rivals?
The 7th generation Audi A6 offers a perfect combination of performance, luxury and looks. The body is light, owing to a significant proportion of aluminum parts. The range of assistance and multimedia systems is extensive, and operation is intuitive and user-friendly.
Elegant and timeless, the styling of its predecessor is enhanced in the new A6. With many technical innovations and a lightweight aluminum build, the design embodies athleticism and elegance. Optional LED headlights, a distinguishing feature of the Audi family, emphasise the striking fascia. With a colour temperature of 5,500 Kelvin, their white light resembles daylight, which is easier on the eyes at night. The visually striking LED headlights are maintenance-free. The low beams consume just 40 watts per unit, their efficiency enhanced by the Xenon plus technology.
The roomy interior of the new A6 echoes the sinewy exterior design. The salient element is the ‘wraparound’—an inlay encircling the driver and front-seat passenger. The elegant instrument panel has a rich selection of equipment such as MMI touch, Bluetooth interface, Bose surround sound and comfort key which makes A6 a good option.
The large onboard monitor for the MMI, first introduced in the A8 L in India early this year, has a standard 6.5” screen (8” optional) screen with MMI touch pad. In MMI plus, hard keys take the user to main zones: Telephone, Radio, Media and Vehicle. Two additional hard keys: menu overview and back button, complete the system.
The A6 comes with a choice of four powerful, highly-efficient 4/6-cylinder power plants. Two petrol engines and two TDI units produce outputs between 177-300 Hp. All engines use technology from Audi’s modular efficiency platform, an innovative thermal management concept, besides the start-stop (petrol) and energy recovery systems.
Air suspension with electronic damping is standard, and keeps the sedan remains composed over all types of terrain. In auto mode, the body is lowered by 20 mm, once the A6 has driven for at least 30 seconds at a speed greater than 120 km/h. The drive select dynamic handling modifies accelerator characteristics, shift points of auto transmission, and power steering boost.
Priced between Rs 37.70 to Rs 47 lakh, the new Audi A6 has its work cut out, but will definitely dent the sales of BMW 5 Series and Merc E Class. We expect a close finish at the end of the year when official sales figures are released.
Audispeak: Michael Perschke, MD
On the new Audi A6
The new Audi A6 is in line with our top-down strategy for India. It’s a perfect blend of advanced technology of A8 L and design features of A7 Sportback. With its wide array of innovations like light weight adaptive air suspension, LED headlamps, drive select, start-stop system with energy recovery, the new A6 will redefine the executive class in India.
On sales growth
Audi AG has delivered more than 6,52,950 cars to customers worldwide, an increase of 17.7 per cent over 2010. It’s the No. 1 premium car in Europe and China, and the fastest growing luxury brand in the US and India. Audi India surpassed its annual sales of 3,003 cars for 2010, in the first seven months of 2011, a 93 per cent growth, with sales of 3,145 cars. We’re confident of achieving its sales target of 5,000 cars by end 2011.
On network expansion
Audi India will have adopted an aggressive strategy for 2011 with the launch of class-defining models and strengthening of dealer networks in metros and tier II/III cities. It’s important for us to be present where our customer is. We’ve already made headway in 13 dealerships across India. By 2011, we’ll have 18 dealers across India, with plans for new dealerships in markets like Coimbatore, Indore and Lucknow among others.
On new talent recruitment
We’ll be infusing skilled talent at three levels: corporate, dealership and production. We strongly believe that a competent workforce, that exhibits and fosters our brand values of progressive, sporty and the sophisticated, is one of the major contributors to profitable growth, and will soon help us achieve leadership in the luxury segment.