In India's luxury automotive market, Audi India is not just selling cars; it's trying to craft a brand narrative built on innovation and customer connection.
The current Audi India product portfolio boasts a diverse range: Audi A4, Audi A6, Audi Q3, Audi Q3 Sportback, Audi Q5, Audi Q7, Audi Q8, Audi RS Q8, Audi Q8 e-tron, Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron, Audi e-tron GT and Audi RS e-tron GT.
Audi Q3 (Rs 44.99 lakh) and Audi RS Q8 (Rs 2.49 crore)
Audi's Indian portfolio spans from the accessible Audi Q3, starting at Rs 44.99 lakh, to the commanding Audi RS Q8, priced from Rs 2.49 crore, catering to a broad spectrum of luxury aspirations.
Audi holds a notable position in India's luxury car market, particularly in the petrol segment, where it had a 31% market share in 2023. Despite growth, India's luxury car market remains a tiny fraction (just over 1%) of the country's overall passenger vehicle sales.
A car is considered luxury when it offers the finest quality materials, cutting-edge standard technology, superior performance, extensive customisation, and an elevated ownership experience, driven by brand prestige and exclusivity. While there is no formal price cut-off that distinguishes a car as luxury, according to the current market standard, if you pay about Rs 45 lacs for your automobile, you are the proud owner of a luxury car.
A luxury car differs from a premium car as a premium car often represents a high trim of mainstream models, offering enhanced features, but it lacks the refinement found in a true luxury vehicle. Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are some examples of luxury car manufacturers, while the top variants of Hyundai Tucson and Kia Carnival can be considered premium cars.
Audi India sold 2,128 cars in H1 2025, a 14% decline compared to 2,477 units sold in H1 2024. This decline in performance is attributed to increased prices due to India's weakening exchange rate and heightened market uncertainty from geopolitical tensions.
Despite market fluctuations, the 115-year-old German brand is engineering a brand experience that resonates deeply with the modern Indian consumer. From championing national sports heroes to chartering new markets and electrifying the future, Gaurav Sinha, head of marketing & PR, Audi India, reveals the strategic blueprint that steers Audi's journey in India.
Audi has recently partnered with Olympic gold medallist and world champion in javelin throw, Neeraj Chopra. Now distinguished as a ‘Friend of Audi’, Chopra is a “self-made man, somebody who has been there and done that only on the basis of his hard work”, which is a profound handshake with the brand's core philosophy.
"Performance" is the key word in the brand’s identity; "the performance of our car, performance of the brand, and performance of the people who work for Audi," says Sinha, is "central to the ethos of the brand."
"And who better than Neeraj, who typifies performance? The entire year he prepared for just one throw and made it,” adds Sinha.
Before Neeraj Chopra, Audi India collaborated with Virat Kohli in 2015. While the brand has previously been associated with celebrities from other fields, the luxury car manufacturer has a preference for sports personalities.
The customer connect with experiential marketing
In an increasingly digital world, Audi believes in doubling down on real-world engagement with many on-ground activations across India beyond the metros.
"Experiential marketing, or customer connect, as we call it internally, is very important to us," Gaurav Sinha emphasised. "What better advertising than people coming and experiencing our cars? Static or drive, our cars are our biggest brand ambassadors," he says.
The goal is simple: let the product do the talking. "I can emotionally tell you everything about this great car and what fantastic features it has and everything it could be. I might excite you a little bit, but imagine me showing you this car physically, and you're getting a chance to drive it”, proposes Sinha. “Then the chances of you having a better affinity for the brand are much higher,” he adds.
Chartering new markets beyond metros
With a recent pop-up store in the unassuming Kanpur, Audi India is exploring new market frontiers in tier two and tier three cities, converting aspirations into sales. A car pop-up store is a temporary, typically smaller, and often more experientially focused retail space in a new market.
Since Audi showrooms are always located at top pincodes, they are bigger and more expensive to run, which is why pilots like the Kanpur pop-up serve as an experiment to determine customer reception before future expansion.
While traditional powerhouses such as Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Mumbai, and Hyderabad remain key markets for luxury cars, Sinha emphasised that "customers are no longer limited to metro cities; they are also present in tier two and tier three cities."
Audi Approved: plus, the brand's certified pre-owned car business, has reported 10% growth in the period between January and June 2025. With 26 pre-owned car facilities already in place, this initiative is pivotal in expanding the Audi ecosystem.
By streamlining the traditionally unorganised used-car sector for Audi cars, the brand’s objective is not monetary gains; it is building customer confidence in the brand.
The allure of exclusivity
Limited edition models, such as the recently launched Q7 Signature Edition, are crucial for fortifying Audi's premium image and nurturing customer loyalty. "A customer is always looking for something new, something additional," Sinha points out.
Given the extended lifecycles of highly engineered vehicles, "these special editions allow us to add a couple of features with unique requirements based on the customer feedback". The Q7 Signature Edition integrates an Audi-specific dash cam, while the A4 Signature Edition boasts a 360-degree parking camera. These innovations offer a "mid-life upgrade” to the product until the new one comes out.
Media strategy
Audi India is recalibrating its media mix, with a significant pivot towards emerging channels. "We have really made a big play in connected TV, so CTV has become very important for us," Sinha said. CTV's primary appeal lies in its "ability to be extremely targeted", enabling Audi to reach a very specific audience with greater efficiency.
Audi OOH ad (left) and Audi India print ad (right)
Beyond CTV, "it's not possible for everybody to come and experience our brand at the showroom or attend our events, so therefore we show our personality with digital out-of- home targeted boards," Sinha adds, highlighting prominent OOH placements at airports and city landmarks. The brand is also innovating within traditional print media.
Electrifying the future with an EV ecosystem
India is embracing electric vehicles (EVs), and Audi India’s EV marketing strategy transcends mere product launches; it's about cultivating a complete EV ecosystem. "We aim to build the ecosystem around electric products because traditionally there have been many misconceptions and doubts in the mind of the customer regarding electric cars," Sinha explains.
Audi India has achieved a significant milestone with over 6,500 charging points across India under its 'Charge My Audi' initiative. It includes an app that integrates more than 6,500 chargers from different automobile players, streamlining real-time information, payment, and transparency for users.
Furthermore, Audi is heavily investing in "ultra-fast charging networks", with capabilities like 80% charge in just 15 minutes, as showcased at its BKC station in Mumbai. Home charger installations and backup chargers further enhance the ownership experience.
Sinha's vision for EVs is "not only to sell the product but to make sure that we can talk about the ecosystem, which gets customers to then buy into this philosophy. It is the future," he says.
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