Audi introduces the Audi Q5 in India

New Delhi - Audi, the German luxury car manufacturer, today launched the much awaited Audi Q5 - the sportiest and most elegant SUV in its class. Audi Q5 is a marvel of precision engineering, luxurious interiors, with dynamic and innovative features and progressive design. Voted the Best Off-Roader in Europe by auto motor und sport and awarded the Golden Steering Wheel in Germany, the Audi Q5 combines the dynamism of a sports sedan with Audi’s legendary quattro permanent all-wheel drive to create a superior technology package for both on- and off-road driving. The Audi Q5 with two engine options - 2.0 TFSI and 3.0 TDI - will be available at Audi dealerships across India from June 4th, 2009 onwards.


“The Audi Q5 stands testament to Audi’s commitment to innovation and sophistication. We introduce now another excellent product of the Audi model range to our Indian customers. The market for the SUV segment has seen tremendous growth in this country during the last years. Driven by our philosophy of 'Vorsprung durch Technik', the Audi Q5 will become a benchmark for style, performance, safety, comfort and driving dynamics in its segment. It joins its ‘big brother’ Audi Q7 in creating a new market for the smaller luxury SUV admirer in the country,” said

Mr. Benoit Tiers, Managing Director Audi India.

The Audi Q5’s design is elegant and sculptural – typically for Audi, which is the leading brand in this domain. The large single-frame grill dominates the front-end, the headlamps have xenon plus bulbs and LED running lights as standard, and the rear lights also feature LED technology. The Audi Q5 is 4.63 meters (15.19 feet) long, 1.88 meters (6.17 feet) wide and 1.65 meters (5.41 feet) high, giving it the sportiest proportions in the segment.


The Audi Q5 comes to the Indian market with two powerful engines – one petrol (2.0 TFSI) and one diesel (3.0 TDI). Both of them are direct injection units with turbocharging, beefy pulling power and impressive fuel efficiency. The new

2.0 TFSI with Audi valvelift system has a maximum power output of 155 kW (211 hp) and speeds up to 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds. The 3.0 TDI is the most powerful engine in the range with 176 kW (240 hp) and 500Nm of torque. It speeds up from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds with a top speed of 225 km/h.


For these engines Audi has developed a new generation of the dynamic S tronic - the innovative dual-clutch transmission now has seven gears. Being a performance SUV, the Audi Q5 drives with sporty precision and unwavering stability, with a climbing performance of a staggering 31 degrees.


The Audi Q5 combines technology with luxury. The standard and optional equipment includes the Audi driver information system, the MMI (Multi Media Interface), xenon plus headlights with LED technology, Bang & Olufsen surround sound, a DVD player, Rear Seat Entertainment, 3-Zone automatic air conditioning, cruise control, an acoustic parking system with rearview camera and many additional features.


The Audi Q5 range starts at INR 3,829,000 for the 2.0 TFSI and INR 4,419,000 for the 3.0 TDI (ex-showroom Mumbai) and will be offered in six exciting colors: Stratos Blue, Garnet Red, Ice Silver, Meteor Grey, Phantom Black and Ibis White.


The new Audi Q5 will be available along with the entire Audi model range comprising the new Audi A6, Audi A8, Audi Q7, Audi A4, Audi TT and the super sports car Audi R8 from June 4th, 2009 onwards at 11 dealerships across the country: in Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kochi.

Audi is Western Europe’s Top Premium Brand

Audi is Western Europe’s Top Premium Brand
· Number of newly registered Audi models overtakes that of premium competitors
· Marked rise in Audi’s market shares
· Schwarzenbauer, Head of Sales and Marketing: “Full speed ahead for our product offensive”

Ingolstadt/Mumbai – In January, Audi surpassed its premium competitors with regard to new-vehicle registrations in Western Europe. The Ingolstadt-based automotive manufacturer sold 45,124 new vehicles in this region in January – far more than either of its key competitors. While the overall market has come under pressure, Audi managed to considerably increase its market shares. The brand with the four rings accounted for 5.1 percent of new Western European vehicle registrations in January 2009. Audi’s market share for the same month last year was 3.9 percent.


These figures demonstrate that AUDI AG has perpetuated the upward trend of recent months. Throughout the last quarter of 2008, the brand with the four rings was consistently at the top of its class with market shares above five percent.

For Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG, this triumph is explained primarily by the brand’s young product range. In 2008 alone, the Ingolstadt-based company launched twelve new models. “We have moved our product offensive into the passing lane,” says Schwarzenbauer. “Particularly in economically strained times, it is crucial that we at Audi offer our customers precisely what they want. We must offer appealing and sporty models which stir enthusiasm among Audi fans – vehicles that are also highly energy-efficient and low on consumption. In 2009, we will remain on the offensive.”

During the first half of 2009 alone, six new Audi models are scheduled to hit the market. Schwarzenbauer adds: “By 2015, we expect to offer Audi customers 40 different models, all loaded with forward-thinking technologies. To this end, we invest some two billion euros annually in product development.”

Recent research corroborates just how fruitful Audi’s brand strategy and its model range already are. The market research institute Simpson Carpenter conducted a representative survey to determine which vehicles constitute Germans’ dream cars. As it turns out, Audi has become Germany’s most beloved automotive brand. The German trade journal auto motor und sport published similarly positive opinions about the brand with the four rings. Indeed, 100,000 of its readers selected the Audi A4, Audi A6 allroad, and the new Audi Q5 as the best vehicles of 2009.

Soruce: www.audi.co.in