Audi sells more cars than BMW in India for the first time ever POSTED ON 2012-07-11

Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi, all three German luxury car makers are contending to become the largest luxury car maker in India. For the past three years, BMW has stayed on the top, Mercedes Benz on second and Audi on third. Recently Audi took the second spot and pushed Mercedes down to third. And now, Audi has beaten BMW for the first time ever in India. Sales of Audi during the month of June 2012 reached 759 units while sales of BMW stood at 750 units.

These record sales come at a time when the car industry is in a slow down mode just as recurring hike in interest rates, and petrol prices have punctured the very growth of the Indian car industry. Audi's strong line up of luxury cars in India is what has motivated buyers to opt for these new and innovative offerings while their strong dealership network and powerful after sales service has only cemented their position in the Indian auto sector.

Though Audi was not looking to be market leaders in 2012, the last month's sales figures have been encouraging and the company would like to continue in the same vein while they target leadership position in the coming year. According to Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Audi sales in first three months of this year have jumped drastically. The company sold 1,908 units in this period as compared to 1,254 units in the span of January to March 2011, a jump of 52%.

Conversely sales of BMW suffered a setback recording a 12.16% decline in sales with only 2,088 units sold as compared to 2,377 units sold in the same period in the previous year. Mercedes Benz too witnessed a 24.41% drop in sales as they sold 1,257 units as against 1,663 units in the period April to June 2011.

Michael Perschke – Head of Audi India stated earlier that they are aiming to overtake BMW as market leaders in India by 2014. "It's the Audi effect, where customers are pulled by the strong brand that is reinforced by the largest line-up of luxury products offered in India. We did not target to be market leaders in 2012, but would like to build the momentum with new product offerings and stronger dealership network to sustain this newly-acclaimed feat in the long term. It's a pleasant surprise. We were targeting leadership only next year," he added.