Post the newly launched RS6 Avant, Audi India is planning to launch the A6 Allroad in India and the success of these models will determine the fate of the A6 and A4 Avant.
The entire Indian auto industry including us were pretty surprised when Audi India announced the launch of the RS6 Avant in the country. Essentially a station wagon with the performance credentials of a supercar, the Audi RS6 Avant isn’t the most obvious choice of the Indian affluent who would rather be seen in a upstate sedan or SUV boasting the same kind of power. Frankly, the station wagons or estates as we all call them aren’t popular at all in India, something that the Tata Estate, Skoda Octavia Combi, Tata Indigo Marina and Maruti Baleno Altura have summed up for us in the past.
However, Audi India is willing to take that bet of bringing something radically new to the market. The recent survey conducted by the company suggested that the new generation of younger buyers are more exposed to international borders and are willing to try something new. Hence, Audi chose to bring the RS6 Avant and is now considering to bring more Avant variants from its global lineup to the country. Given its plans to bring more sedate Avant versions in the future, the Ingolstadt maker chose the top-down route by launching the fire breathing RS6 Avant first, which works as a brand builder with its overwhelming power figures and luxurious cabin that add a quote of approval on the not so preferred body style.
Post the RS6 Avant, Audi is now planning to launch the A6 Allroad in India. The Allroad is essentially an off-road friendly version of the A6 Avant and comes with additional body cladding and bigger wheels, unlike its estate derivative. While the RS6 Avant is expected to sell in limited numbers and the novelty value just might push a few units without much effort, the same can’t be said about the A6 Allroad. This is mostly because station wagons are most popular in Europe but aren’t that well accepted in other parts of the world. In a country like India where the luxury badge sells primarily for snob value, the Avant or estates do not exactly induce luxury as willingly as a sedan would.
That said, it will be interesting to see if Audi’s gamble pays off or not. The automaker is surely right about the younger generation open to trying newer things and we are also seeing more and more luxury car owners taking command of the driver’s seat. While we do not expect the Indian market to be very promising as retailing a sedan, this does open the room for debate over the acceptance of station wagons in the country. If the RS6 Avant and the A6 Allroad get the right response, Audi will eventually bring the A6 and the A4 Avant versions to India.
Source – AutocarIndia.com