In what might be one of the best examples of a smashing pricing strategy, Audi has launched the A3 sedan at prices starting from Rs. 22.95 Lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi).
The A3 sedan is Audi’s cheapest product in the entire range and is also the first compact luxury sedan to be sold in India. It will pick the fight against the similarly priced BMW 1 Series and the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, which are hatchbacks. Audi is very bullish about the success of the A3 sedan, and has already begun local assembly for the car. This is the first Audi which has gone the local assembly route prior to the launch.
The A3 will be sold in four trim levels for the diesel powered version— Attraction, Premium, Premium Plus and Technology. The petrol powered version will be available in a single Premium Plus variant.
The diesel engine is a 2.0L, 141 BHP motor mated to a 6-speed gearbox, while the petrol motor is a 1.8L, 177 BHP TFSI direct-injection turbo-charged unit mated to an 8-speed gearbox.
Cheapest Audi, but the feature list runs long. The car gets bi-xenon headlamps, LED DRLs, 16″ & 17″ alloys wheels, pop-out 7″ touchscreen infotainment system with handwriting recognition, dual zone automatic climate control, electric adjustments for the front seats, rear view camera, panoramic sunroof, a total of seven airbags etc.
The variant nomenclature is no longer typical Audi. It now reads A3 35 TDI for the diesel and A3 40 TFSI for the petrol. Bigger the number, the quicker the car is in the 0-100 kmph stint.
Audi A3 sedan Prices (Ex-showroom, Delhi):
- A3 35 TDI Diesel Attraction: Rs. 22.95 lakh
- A3 35 TDI Diesel Premium: Rs. 25.95 lakh
- A3 35 TDI Diesel Premium Plus: Rs. 29.95 lakh
- A3 35 TDI Diesel Technology: Rs. 32.66 lakh
- A3 40 TFSI Petrol Premium Plus: Rs. 28.95 lakh
Do you think the Audi A3 will eat up sales of the hatchback offerings from the other two German marques?