Audi India to make petrol variants of all of its cars, Due to the ban of 2.0-litre plus diesel engines in Delhi-NCR (though it is lifted now), the market movement is still in favour of petrol engines, due to the negative repercussions the ban on diesel mills has created.
Sensing the same, Audi India announces that it will launch the petrol variants of all the models within the first three months into 2017. Besides the customer preference for petrol engines, the narrowing of the price difference between petrol and diesel is also one of the most important factors that have caused this change. The perception of petrol being healthier than diesel has been retained by car users, after the ban on diesel.
Other mass-driven car makers have also begun to offer petrol variants of all the vehicles in their portfolio. So, Audi, the luxury car maker, also relents to make and offer petrol variants of all their cars to cash in on the market trend currently favoring petrol motors. Even the Mercedes Benz, despite its fight and victory over the fate of diesel engines, has resorted to plans of offering petrol variants across their whole fleet.
Interestingly, Audi India also estimates that the negative sentiments on diesel and the positive movement towards petrol have caused them loss to the tune of Rs. 760 crore in 2016. To add insult to injury, the Union Budget also raised the excise duties on diesel vehicles.
So, in order to counter this debilitating trend and to alleviate losses, Audi has planned to introduce petrol variants across its entire portfolio. So far, majority of the cars in the Audi’s portfolio in India have been diesel variants. Sedans A3 and A8 are the only cars to boast of petrol engines, while all SUVs in the Q line-up are diesel powered vehicles.
So, the changes will begin with the next-generation Audi A4 sedan, which will be powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine. The launch of the new-gen A4 sedan is expected by next month. And on the SUV front, a petrol-powered Q7 followed, by a petrol-powered Q3 are expected. The latter is currently undergoing homologation.
Source: Vicky.in
