Behind The Wheel

Since its inception in 2007, Audi India has seen tremendous growth. We catch up with Rahil Ansari, Brand Director, Audi India, the man responsible for bringing the brand to India, to see what drives the brand. Excerpts.

- Mehul Reuben Das

Audi took the coveted number one spot in luxury car sales in 2013, lost it in 2015, and has been pushing really hard to get it back ever since. What are your expectations from the Indian Market, and the government? Is the tax regime still painfully obtuse, or have you been able to adjust your strategies accordingly for a longer term?

Audi has become one of the most popular brands despite being the last entrant into the market and continues to be one of the most preferred brands in India. Audi has had innumerable references in India’s pop culture. People in India have their own way of referring to the brand with four rings, in their own language like “chaar challe wali gaadi…” and this speaks volumes of the brand’s success in India in such a short span of time.

When Audi entered India, the strategy was clearly to build on brand awareness. A good car park was therefore critical.

After completing five to six years, we had a sustainable car park. The focus shifted to build the brand sustainably. At the end of the day we are here to do profitable business. Buying market volumes is easy, but a sustainable position is achieved only when the brand and the dealer partners grow profitably. The luxury car segment not only in India but globally, is very cyclical. At the end of the day, we do not want to push volumes for position, but for profitable growth.