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Audi Q8 India Launch Confirmed For 15 January 2020: Details And Expected Price
German luxury car manufacturer, Audi, has announced that it will launch its flagship SUV, the Q8, in India on 15 January 2020. The company also said that it wants to strengthen its presence in the Indian markets by 2025.
Mr Balbir Singh Dhillon, the India Head for Audi, said, "One of the pillars for us in defining Strategy 2025 is a C and D segments push. The Q8 obviously makes a very big contribution in the D segment, where we will be present again."
Rumors are that Audi India started accepting bookings for the all new Q8 last weekend, however dealers based at Pune, Mumbai, and Delhi, have said that they have not begun accepting bookings.
Mr Dhillon also confirmed that the all new Q8 SUV will launch on 15 January 2020. The Q8 will be the Audi's second car that is BS-VI compliant, the first being the A6 that was recently launched. The soon-to-be launched SUV will be available as imports, and in the CBU format.
Mr Dhillon also said, "The key focus area of Strategy 2025 is customer centricity. We are targeting individual experience of customers who are upward of Q7 segment, who want to configure the car to match their personality and design their own cars. It will be made for customers specifically to their desire and design."
The company says that they want to offer a combination of ‘four-door' elegance from the luxury coupes, and practicality that comes with a large SUV, and that is where the Q8 excels. Buyers will be able to customizing their Q8s according to their preferences.
The Audi Q8 that is available in international markets features a 3.0-litre, turbocharged, V6 engine that produces 335bhp of power and 500Nm of torque. The engine comes mated to an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission and features the company's Quattro all-wheel drive.
The Q8 also features three-zone climate control, an auto-dimming interior rear view mirror, a digital compass, a sunroof with power shades, heated eight-way adjustable power front seats, full LED headlights with high-beam assist, and a 12.3-inch LCD digital instrument cluster that functions in Classic, and Infotainment modes.
Safety features on the Q8 include six-airbags, electronic stability control, ABS with EBD, a tyre pressure management system, and electromagnetic parking brake, and (LATCH) Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren.
We still have to wait before we know what changes (if any) will be made to the India-spec Q8 models. We expect the interiors and creature comfort features to remain the same as the international spec SUV's but expect Audi to make small changes to the engine.
The Audi Q8 is currently priced at USD 68,200 upwards. That is roughly Rs 48.66 lakh (ex-showroom/ plus taxes). Audi has not released any information about pricing, however we expect the Q8 to be priced at Rs 90 lakh upwards (ex-showroom, India).
Thoughts About The Q8 Launch
Good. Audi need to come back with a bang. The company will have to offer a little more that what Mercedes and BMW currently offer. The option to customize one's SUV will definitely add numbers to sales, but only time will tell if the Q8 will help Audi regain lost ground.