Audi looks to manufacture EVs in India to Increase volumes

Leading auto brand Audi is weighing the feasibility of manufacturing its electric vehicles locally in India. A senior company official has said that the said decision is being mulled to step up the volume of cars. The German based automaker had already made its intentions public about going all-electric by year 2033.

The company says that since they have received a good response in the electric vehicle segment, it is a matter of time before EVs will be locally produced. Balbir Singh Dhillon, India Head for Audi, said that the company is in the process of continuous evaluation to gauge the acceptability of electric mobility in India. He said, “But you have to also understand that we have, as Audi India or Audi AG, already decided that by 2033 we will become an all-electric car company. So, it’s a matter of time. It’s a question of when, not if that whether we will do it.”

In the last seven months, the company has launched as many as five electric vehicles in India. They are e-tron 50, e-tron 55, e-tron Sportback 55, e-tron GT, RS e-tron GT. Audi received a great response from the market as there is strong demand for the EV. It sold 3,293 units of EV in India last year compared to 1,639 units in 2020. This is more than a two-fold jump. Audi India Head held, “So far, it has been extremely successful. This is one segment, which actually has performed even better than what we initially anticipated.”

Dhillion added that Audi India’s product portfolio in the EV segment is currently strong and this diversification is meant to cater to the customer needs for next coming years. The decision of Audi has come against Mercedes-Benz – its key competitor – which has announced that it would assemble its EQS electric sedan locally in India. The EV sedan is expected to be launched at the end of this year.