Audi India has pulled the plug on the Q3 S Edition due to low demand, reason being manual transmission, basic equipment, no LED lights and launch of the Audi A3.
Audi is on a roll in India with its seventh successive year of growth, selling 10,851 units in 2014. The Ingolstadt based luxury carmaker crossed the 10,000 sales mark for the second consecutive year. With an aggressive lineup of cars ranging from the fun-to-drive Audi A3 to the fire breathing Audi R8, the carmaker has made a comfortable foothold in the luxury car market. Frequent introduction of different variants and trims of models is a crucial part of their strategy. One such variant launched in the recent past was the Audi Q3 S Edition, which has been discontinued now due to poor sales.
The Audi Q3 is a well appreciated luxury compact SUV but what went against the S Edition is basic equipment (no climate control system, USB for audio, sunroof, etc.), missing Audi signature LED lights, no Quattro system and the most significant of them all, a manual gearbox. No one wants to buy a manual luxury car in India. Mercedes has already tested the formula that luxury cars with manual transmission don’t work, yet Audi launched the Q3 S. Having said that, the baby SUV is a complete hoot to drive due to being manual and you can read our review HERE.
Another reason behind the lack of success of the Audi Q3 S is the Audi A3 which was launched as the new entry level. The Q3 S was launched as the most affordable Audi in India in August 2013 with a mouth watering price of Rs. 24.99 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). Under the hood is a detuned version of the 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine, powering the front wheels. The oil burner churns out 140 BHP of maximum power and 320 Nm of peak torque, mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. Expect the 2015 Q3 facelift to be launched in India within a few months’ time.
