“This is not just three e-trons we’ve launched, we’ve launched a brand”
“By the year 2025 we want to sell 15 per cent of our volumes in India in the electric space,” says Balbir Singh Dhillon, head of Audi India, post the launch of the new e-tron and e-tron Sportback
The response has been fantastic
“Back in 2019 we had got the first e-tron in India to see, to test and to check. All this while we’ve been working on that. Of course the pandemic didn’t help, but at the end of the day, we’re excited to launch three e-trons. I am really overwhelmed with the response from journalists, from potential buyers, from our dealers, from friends and family, it’s a really great day for us. And this is just the beginning. In the times to come we are going to bring more cars to the country and you already know our global plans as Audi moves towards electrification. This is our first step and we are thrilled.”
We always planned to launch three e-trons
“We wanted to keep it secret, it was all on the table from the start. And since these are CBUs, it actually helps to bring more cars to the country. Also, to show our commitment, we wanted to give more choice to the customers because electrification is like a marathon for us. It’s not a sprint race. Of course, you already know we’ve also launched so many other initiatives around the e-tron in terms of the ownership, aftersales, plus also for the charging infrastructure and digitalisation. So for us it’s a great beginning to the e-tron.”
SUVs are the flavour of India today
“Though in the luxury segments the ratio
(of sedans to SUVs) is 50:50, SUVs are still dominating. From that point of view we have brought in two body shapes, not just the SUV but also the Sportback because we want people to experiment, and also the likings of the younger generation are different too. So our idea was to bring in more options for customers without compromising on any of the qualitative parameters, whether it is luxury, touch-and-feel, including quality of leather or the screens that you have. This includes the driveability of the car, the practicality, ground clearance, its size,
the boot space — everything you expect from an Audi. It’s a transition from being an Audi to being an electric Audi.”
Rather than pushing, what we want to create is a pull around our product
“We have a four-pronged strategy for this. One is clearly the product, the second is about the ownership. Once you buy the car, there are up to five years of service packages offered. There’s up to five years of warranty you can purchase, and we’ve made five years of roadside assistance complimentary with the car. We have also come out with buy back programmes in case you want to sell after one, two, or three years. So, if you have any apprehensions about owning the car, we’re trying to take care of it.
“The third one is the anxiety of charging. We’ve already installed over 30 chargers across our dealerships but what we intend to do is use our Group synergy, and put over a 100 chargers across the country in 75 cities. In some of our dealerships we will also put 50kW DC chargers where you can charge up to 80 per cent in less than two hours. We are also trying to cover 25 important highways and the Golden Quadrilateral. The idea is to give more comfort to our customers.
“Last but not the least, is the digitalisation side because once you own the car, you also have peripheral things available for it. For example, if you want to calculate how much money you’ve saved, or want to go for a long drive and check how many places have chargers, you can do it via the myAudi app. 24x7 roadside assistance is also available through the app and there will be an exclusive line that will be made available for e-tron customers where they can ask for any kind of support that they want.”
We are looking at strategic locations where we will install more chargers
“We have dealerships of other brands across the country, so it doesn’t matter if it is Porsche VW or Skoda — regardless of them having an EV — wherever their dealerships are at strategic locations, we will put charging stations.”
The combustion engines will still remain at the core of our sales
“Audi has globally announced that from 2034 onwards we will not be selling any ICE engines but there are still 12 years to go, and we are moving towards that direction. But at least for the next 12 years, we’ll still continue to sell ICE engines and thereafter of course we’ll become an electric car company.”
If the volumes permit we will look at all the options, including manufacturing in India
“We’ll do whatever makes business sense because if we have to make these cars in India, it’ll need large investments. But we are not restricting ourselves and are waiting for the right time to decide. In our medium to long-term strategy we will also be working on making the cars in India, but as of now it will be CBUs.”
Almost 90 to 95 per cent of our needs are within the city
“WE’VE ALREADY INSTALLED OVER 30 CHARGERS ACROSS OUR DEALERSHIPS”
“It’s only once in a month or once in two months that we head out of the city. Of course there are people who travel more regularly between cities but most of our requirements are local. With the 480 kilometres (of range) we have on the e-tron 55 on the WLTP-cycle, you probably need to charge it once or twice in a week. Inter-city trips such as Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai can be done in one day and you don’t need to charge it in between. The facilities we are trying to provide are to give you comfort just in case. The ‘just in case’ creates a lot of question marks in one’s mind, and we are trying to address those through our digital mediums, roadside assistance, or the chargers we’re trying to put at multiple locations. But I believe the questions arise only before you own it. Once you own it, within 30 days, you will be much more comfortable.”
With every passing day, you’re seeing more and more players coming into the picture
“It isn’t just OEMs but there are also a vast majority of companies who are only establishing the charging infrastructure, so I think in a matter of few months we will have this growing multi-fold. This is the future so the government is pushing incentives for the companies who are putting in the charging infrastructure so I think this is going to be coming up very fast.”
Every time you see an EV on the road, your confidence level of buying an EV goes up
“Irrespective of whether we are in the luxury EV space or volume space, every time you see an EV on the road, we will get to see more EVs on the road in the future. It’s about getting butts on the seats. So, the more people sitting in EVs, the more cars will sell.”
I can confirm to you that we are planning to bring another electric car this year
“This is the first launch, the three e-trons, and we’re not ending here. We’re just starting from here, and if we have to achieve 15 per cent of our sales volume by 2025, we need to bring in more cars. Just hold on, stay tuned.”