As the end of the first quarter, Audi overtook Mercedes as the second highest selling luxury car brand in the country. Audi sold just 100 units less than BMW in first three months and was set to challenge the Bavarian company for the number one spot. With the launch of the new A4 and the Q3 compact crossover, we were just waiting to find out when Audi topped the sheet. The answer is, within a month.
As per SIAM’s data for the month of June, Audi sold nine units more than BMW to gain a slender lead as the highest selling luxury brand in the country. Audi sold 759 units last month, in spite of the slump caused by high fuel prices and interest rates. BMW sales on the other hand have dipped considerably this year with the company registering a fall of 12 per cent in the first quarter of 2012.
BMW has been market leader for three years, but that is mainly due to the entry-level X1 which comprises 45 per cent of their sale in India. BMW will certainly try and challenge the number one position once again in the coming months with the launch of all new 3-Series and the X1 facelift. Indian’s first luxury car brand, Mercedes, has not been fighting at the top for position, but actually sells more high-end cars as compared to both Audi and BMW. However, the three-pointed-star will also enter the battle soon with sub-25 lakh rupee B-Class in next couple of months.
