NEW DELHI: Pinning hope on the festive season to spur demand, luxury automobile companies— Mercedes, Audi and BMW — are set to launch their popular models in the Indian market in October.
The industry has lost significant volume during the pandemic. In August 2020, retail luxury sales contracted by over 40 per cent to 1,247 units.
German automaker Audi, on Saturday, said that bookings for its Q2 SUV are now open at dealer showrooms and on the company’s website against a payment of Rs 2 lakh.
Audi’s smallest SUV, the Q2, will have no direct rivals in the Indian market as it is significantly smaller than Mercedes GLA and BMW X1.
Balbir Singh Dhillon, Head of Audi India, said, “Our fifth launch for the year, the Audi Q2 is an extremely important product for India as it opens up a new segment of buyers for the brand...I am confident that young buyers who want to join the Audi family early on will be amazed by the performance of this car.”
Dhillon added, “2020 has been an exciting year for Audi India despite the unfortunate pandemic and its challenges. Our product launches including the Audi Q8, Audi A8 L, Audi RS 7 and Audi RS Q8 have been very well received.
The SUV is expected to hit Indian roads later part of the month at a price tag of around Rs 30-35 lakhs, making it its most affordable product. BMW India, too, will be launching its smallest fourdoor offering that is also one of its most affordable , the 2 Series Gran Coupe on October 15. The Coupe will be positioned below the 3 Series sedans and will compete with the likes of the Mercedes- Benz A-Class sedan in India.
BMW is expected to price the 2 Series Gran Coupe around the Rs 35 lakh (ex-showroom) mark. Separately, BMW has also announced to increase prices by up to 3 per cent from November 1, 2020.
BMW will also be launching new G 310 R and G 310 GS bikes on October 8 to increase its presence in the f sub-500 cc segment. Mercedes will become the first luxury automaker to introduce an all-electric model in India with the launch of Mercedes-Benz EQC on October 8, 2020.