New Audi A3 sedan launch date in India could be in 2013
Audi’s entry level product aimed at attracting a new crop of younger buyers, the new Audi A3 sedan, is all set to hit international markets across the globe by the end of 2012. This very car will arrive into India too, sometime in 2013, even as arch rival Mercedes Benz has two entry level products lined up for the Indian market in 2012-13. In late 2012, we will have the Mercedes Benz B-Class sports tourer being launched while 2013 will see the A-Class sports hatchback. Both these cars are expected to be entry level models launched at highly competitive price tags.
Similarly, the Audi A3 sedan based on the MQB platform will be the Volkswagen group owned German luxury car maker’s least priced model in India. The 2014 Audi A3 sedan, Audi’s entry level product, will be assembled in India, at Audi’s Aurangabad plant through completely knocked down(CKD) kits. A price of about 20-22 lakhs could be expected for the Audi A3 sedan, which will sit beneath the A4 sedan and the Q3 crossover in terms of price and positioning. The car is expected to feature both petrol as well as diesel power. Also, a hatchback variant of the A3 is already available while the convertible variant is said to be in the pipeline.
However, the Indian market will get only the sedan version of the A3 as the market for a high end hatchback is quite limited as of now. The 2 Liter TDI turbo diesel engine delivering 140 Bhp-320 Nm is expected to be the big selling engine in the 2014 Audi A3 sedan while the petrol variant is expected to feature the 1.8 TSI turbo petrol engine delivering 160 bhp-250 Nm. Both these engines are already being used by a range of Volkswagen, Skoda and Audi cars. A seven speed dual clutch DSG automatic gearbox could put power to the ground on both the petrol and diesel variants of the 2014 A3 sedan.
The production version of the 2014 Audi A3 sedan is expected to debut at the upcoming 2012 Paris Motor Show. Audi has been particularly aggressive in the Indian car market, wanting to become the market leader by displacing current incumbent BMW from its perch. Audi has already powered past Mercedes Benz India to become the second largest luxury car maker in India. Cars like the Q3 crossover and the upcoming 2014 A3 sedan will be important cogs that will drive volumes for the German luxury car brand.
