[anshumandun]

I'm taking it too far but how about starting Audi Motorrad and get into premium motorcycle segment? It might be easier to sell a 15 Lakhs Audi premium motorcycle than sell a 25 lakhs entry level Audi car. BMW Motorrad's growth does give a hint where the premium motorcycle market is going.

VW group already owns Ducati so they have all the expertise they need.

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by ashis89

For an informed owner, the car size and interior space matters. It is embarrassing when a premium car is overshadowed in size by a Hyundai or Honda parked next to it. Or when a Honda City owner travels in your premium car and makes a passing comment about less leg space. Believe me, these are owner's perspectives.

A compact premium car will never be the only car owned by someone. They'll have multiple rides and this one will primarily be for in city driving. I'd gladly take an A1 with a really refined 1.5/2.0 TSi and a dual clutch, great build quality and things that make me feel pampered in the driver's seat for 20 odd lacs than pay the same and buy a people mover with loads of space and a noisy diesel engine.

I'd care two hoots about what someone else says about my car.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

A compact premium car will never be the only car owned by someone. They'll have multiple rides and this one will primarily be for in city driving.

I know at least 3 people who have (or had until recently) the Q3 as their only car. Only one of them is a family of 2 while others have bigger families. In the end, needs and requirements will differ from person to person.

I'd gladly take an A1 with a really refined 1.5/2.0 TSi and a dual clutch, great build quality and things that make me feel pampered in the driver's seat for 20 odd lacs than pay the same and buy a people mover with loads of space and a noisy diesel engine.

I had already mentioned that would be ideal usage for such a car.

Originally Posted by ashis89

That said, these compact premium cars can be a good option for someone who travels alone or 2-up for 90% of the times. For those looking for 4-seaters, IMO there are better alternatives available.

[reihem]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

A compact premium car will never be the only car owned by someone. They'll have multiple rides and this one will primarily be for in city driving. I'd gladly take an A1 with a really refined 1.5/2.0 TSi and a dual clutch, great build quality and things that make me feel pampered in the driver's seat for 20 odd lacs than pay the same and buy a people mover with loads of space and a noisy diesel engine.

I'd care two hoots about what someone else says about my car.

I can not agree with you enough. Load it with comfort and safety features, and I would take a luxury hot hatch over an impractical sedan anyday. If I was driver driven, or if I had a large family I would of course think differently. But, since neither apply ...

I saw complete merit in shelling out close to 40 OTR for a fully loaded v40. I have never regretted the decision. I have never sat in the backseat either. Audi should not make the mistake of equating smaller size to smaller feature list or reduced safety equipment. If they do that, they’ve lost the game already. Take a page out of the A class / V40 handbook and stop assuming that customers looking for smaller cars are by definition looking for cheaper cars and thus somehow willing to compromise on any other front. We aren’t compromising whem it comes to size, we are actively choosing it.

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by ashis89

I know at least 3 people who have (or had until recently) the Q3 as their only car. Only one of them is a family of 2 while others have bigger families.

Q3 is an age old design that is badly packaged. It isn't representative of what is available in this segment as a whole. If you have a large family, it obviously doesn't make sense to spend money on a cramped Q3.

However there's the refreshed A3 sportback which is a fairly decent product with reasonable space and also the A1 which is set to be launched on the MQB-A0 platform (based on the new Polo). These will be more than enough for a family of two. If they do get either of them to India and price it competitively, they might find success.

[manishkapadia]

I feel that if Audi makes and sells cars cheaper than the Q3 and A3, they might just lose the little fan base they have over here. As it is its neither here nor there. If they get cheap and small then they are actually climbing down on the Aspiration chain in the human mind.

They are in a difficult position since they VW and Skodas are from the very same company. Feature and comfort wise these two are only going to get better and a rational mind will buy them instead of the 4 bangles. Atleast in Urban India it has become common knowledge that all the 3 cars are from same group.

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by ashis89

For an informed owner, the car size and interior space matters. It is embarrassing when a premium car is overshadowed in size by a Hyundai or Honda parked next to it. Or when a Honda City owner travels in your premium car and makes a passing comment about less leg space. Believe me, these are owner's perspectives.

The informed car owner who chooses a compact premium car doesn't need the space and luxury is never a volume game, either in sales or space. There is nothing embarrassing in parking next to a larger mainstream brand vehicle, 99% of the time no one notices the larger bread box. People will ask who owns the Benz, even if it's a GLA, they won't be bothered with Fortuner, CRV or whatever large thing is next to it. The Honda City owner who talks about leg space isn't the target customer, anyone who talks about leg space while owning a car with fixed headrests shouldn't be taken seriously.

There is a post by the fellow member who picked up an A3 over an Octavia, the reason he gave was that the perception of success matters, a luxury car is the easiest way to signal it. Cars like the Q2 will be popular with the younger crowd, people in emerging technologies, entrepreneurs and children of the rich. They will also appeal to empty nesters, mostly parents of successful NRIs, who want a luxury badge. The luxury car owner is getting younger and sub 30 lakh is the price band to hook them up for life.

[SJM1214]

Let me be among the few who welcomed this move. In Gujarat, we have songs written on Audi " char bangdi wali gadi" ( A car with four bangles). Audi is a dream car for many even in ruler area. Believe me, people in ruler area are not aware of the fact that VW and Skoda are practically AUDI. And if at all they are aware of it, they don't care. Those four bangles on the car have a different & special appeal.

We do have a saying in Gujarat..."Modi(Late) lo, Pan Audi Lo" (Buy late, but buy AUDI). Why late? just because they are costly( 40Lakh+). Now if AUDI would be able to remove that "Costly" factor, people will buy it. IMO, an Audi under 20 to 22 Lakh would sell like hot cake ( at least in my area, which is famous(and reach) for milk revolution and tobacco farming.)

As an automobile enthusiast, I can ask hell lot of questions and raise doubts on this move but for a Layman who is a victim of "four bangles charm" will go for it.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

That could be the answer. Remember Merc Smart?

Mercedes' Smart Car project is not the answer to anything . It has burned through billions of dollars since inception, never made a buck, been a sales flop in most markets and is currently on ventilator support.

A tiny car like that sold at a premium price will never sell in India.

[StarrySky]

I have had a ride and drive in the Q2 when a friend was evaluating it for lease. It is even shorter than the A3 hatchback available here and the A3 hatchback itself feels cramped at the back. However, I was surprised that the Q2 felt roomier than the A3. The higher riding position certainly helps. It can be comfortable for 4 adults of my height (173 cm). Boot is of a decent size too. It is spacious enough to function as a family car for a nuclear family.

If Brezza / EcoSport / Nexon can sell, this one can too. They sell based more on SUV looks than any big difference in practicality compared to hatchbacks. Q2 can similarly be a viable alternative to someone who is considering A-class / 1-series / CLA / A3 sedan / GLA.

Whats lets Q2 down as a premium car is the step down in the interior feel compared to the A3. Not sure about the 1-series, but the other cars I listed above certainly feel more premium than the Q2 on the inside.

[Ferruccio]

Mercedes fought back to No. 1 by paying heed to the Asian customer (read Chinese + Indian). They brought inf fresh young styling inside and out, great interiors and infotainment and their master-stroke was the LWB E Class.

Audi is in a bad space - Most non enthusiasts cannot tell one car from another and the enthusiasts know that Audi is just a more expensive Skoda. I remember in the mid-90s working abroad, the Ford salespeople did not know how to push Mercury cars. They used to sit in the same showrooms with very similar models. The hapless sales guys used to say the Mercury Mystique is the top version of the Ford Contour (which itself was a pretty underwhelming car).

Ultimately the Mercury stock would rot until it was offered with liquidation incentives to sell for cheaper than the Ford cars. And because they'd rotted in stock for so long and their already unreliable elctronics and plastics had got cooked under the sun, they were prone to failures more often!

The only way to command a premium in automotive is to keenly listen to the customers and offer her breakthroughs in areas that matter. 2 showrooms down from the Ford / Mercury showroom was the Toyota / Lexus showroom - again at that time selling Toyota cars badged Lexus. But Lexus offered levels of customer service that were truly unheard of in that day and age . . . . It took us about 4 years to become No. 1 in that market ahead of the Germans

Audi needs to listen to Indian customers and design for them. ChIndia is the biggest premium car market and they need to recognize that ChIndian customers are chauffeur driven.

[shibujp]

Modus operandi. Introduce "entry level." Sustain for couple of years. Slowly drive it upmarket (in terms of price only). Bring the next entry level. Drive up the price of that too..and on and on. All this while the Korean and Japanese manufacturers are slowly crashing the party at "entry level." Is this strategy really bringing them any dividends?

Originally Posted by GTO

Mercedes' Smart Car project is not the answer to anything . It has burned through billions of dollars since inception, never made a buck, been a sales flop in most markets and is currently on ventilator support. .

Now why the hell does that sound familiar!!

Drive on,
Shibu

[ACM]

For me a Q3 is Smaller than the Creta. On the inside it is somewhere between the EcoSport and Breeza in size.

The Q3 back seat is too small and smaller SUV is a bad Idea.

Smaller engines in recent Q3, A3, A4 have taken some of the desirability out of Audi.

Yes Audi interiors are still good but don't pull at the heart. The drive tends to be boring though comfortable.

Look fascination again ends with rear tail lights on the outside and digital instrumentation on the inside.

Since we can't expect India specific changes we can only hope for more powerful engines and bigger discounts.

The New Q5 at 72-73L OTR for only 2L variant is a joke.

Priced OTR 60L it would have been seen on the roads in numbers.

[low_rider]

Originally Posted by avira_tk

The informed car owner who chooses a compact premium car doesn't need the space and luxury is never a volume game, either in sales or space. There is nothing embarrassing in parking next to a larger mainstream brand vehicle, 99% of the time no one notices the larger bread box. People will ask who owns the Benz, even if it's a GLA, they won't be bothered with Fortuner, CRV or whatever large thing is next to it...............

Completely agree. Car is not just a technical purchase in India, but also a proclamation of one's status and having arrived in life. And a premium brand does exactly that. A good quality fake Omega/Tag is more valued here than a similarly priced original Casio Edifice.

[volkman10]

Audi to launch A1 soon - yet another supermini with advanced tech, and it's going to debut soon in Barcelona.

Mechanically, the A1 will be similar to the Polo and Ibiza, riding on the same MQB A0 platform.

Audi just released this short teaser video that shows the new Virtual Cockpit dash and what's probably a 10-inch or even 12-inch MMI infotainment system.