Audi India commences production of A3 sedan

The A3 is expected to shake up the entry-level luxury hatchback and sedan segment and once launched, it will take on the likes of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, B-Class and BMW 1 Series. Acclaimed as “World car of the year 2014″ in its hatchback form, the A3 sedan would be the sixth car being manufactured in India by the German luxury brand after the A6, A4, Q5, Q7 and the Q3.

The Audi A3 will be produced at Volkswagen Group’s Aurangabad plant in Maharashtra. A hall covering 215,278 square feet has been setup in the plant where the Q3 and Q7 are also produced. The A3 sedan is expected to give a serious boost for Audi, increasing their sales volumes in this segment. Audi India became the first luxury car brand in India to sell more than 10,000 units in the country in both the calendar year as well as the financial year 2013- 2014.

The Audi A3 will be powered by a 1.8TFSI engine and 2.0TDI engine in India. The power output will be the same as the Octavia which employs the same engines. The 1.8 TSI will generate 180bhp and 250Nm torque while the 2.0TDI will produce 143bhp and 320Nm mated to a 6-speed S Tronic dual-clutch transmission. Read our first drive report here

Commenting on the start of production of A3, Joe King, Head of Audi India said “India is a very promising market for Audi. With the upcoming launch of the the next big Audi — the Audi A3 Sedan, we will be creating a new segment, that of the compact luxury sedan, in India. The Audi A3 sedan will attract an entirely new customer segment into the Audi family. We will start the local production of the A3 Sedan right from the launch phase as we are convinced that this model is the right product for the Indian market at the right time. We are confident that the A3 Sedan will set new benchmarks and will further consolidate our leading position in the luxury automobile market in India.”