German luxury car maker Audi India began local production of the Audi Q3 and Audi Q3 Sportback at the Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited (SAVWIPL) plant in Aurangabad that will help reduce the wait periods.
Speaking to Business Standard in February, Audi India head Balbir Singh Dhillon had said that they were importing the Q3 range (Premium Plus, Technology and Sportback Technology) as fully built units which attract a 110 percent duty.
Audi was planning to make these cars in India along with the Audi Q5, A6, A4, Q7.
"Currently, around 75-80 percent of the cars that we sell in India are manufactured here. Once we start making the Q3 range too, we will be making almost 85-90 percent of the cars sold here locally," Dhillon had said.
Local manufacturing would help to reduce wait periods and also boost sales. For example, the Q3 range that was launched last year has started deliveries only from January this year. The Q3 range is priced between Rs 44.8 lakh to Rs 51 lakh (for the Q3 Sportback).
Dhillon clarified that local manufacturing would not bring down the prices. "We had plans to make this range in India, so we had factored that into the pricing already," he added.
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