Audi R8 sold out in India before launch

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Mumbai, Aug 21: With 15 orders already in the bag for its super luxury R8 sports car scheduled for launch in November, German luxury carmaker Audi AG says the model is sold out for this year. Priced at Rs 1.3 crore in India, the R8 will be imported directly from Germany and will not be available for test drives. The car will not go through homologation or approval by the authorities due to the low volumes. Bookings for the car started in June.

“In Germany, people have to wait for months for delivery of the R8. Since the car is partly handmade, the numbers are limited. The car is almost sold out globally this year,” said an Audi spokesperson on the sidelines of the opening of the new corporate sales office of Volkswagen and Audi here on Wednesday. There are at present only two or three R8s on Indian roads bought through direct imports.

A total of 2,952 units of the R8 were sold worldwide. With a mid-engine, the 420-horsepower vehicle has permanent all-wheel drive and an all-aluminium space frame body. The 1,560 kg R8 is in direct competition with the Porsche Carrera S, which costs Rs 86.05 lakh. “The Indian market has discerning buyers who are prepared to pay for luxury, provided the quality and overall experience is superior,” says Rod Wallace, managing director, Porsche India.

Indicating that financing is an area where Audi and Volkswagen as a group want to strengthen, the Audi spokesperson said, “There are possibilities that the group will tie-up with banks in India.” Volkswagen AG may also bring to India its wholly owned subsidiary, Volkswagen Financial Services AG, which coordinates financial services activities worldwide. “We are working out the details for India, which will be completed this year,” added the spokesperson.