Luxury auto brands: Thinking small to grow big

Though the cut-throat competition in the voluminous passenger car market is well documented, a quiet war is now breaking out in the niche luxury car category, which industry experts feel is becoming the new battleground and would script the next phase in the Indian auto story.

After selling 6,281 units in 2010-11 to topple Mercedes-Benz (5,987 units in 2010-11) as the No. 1 luxury car maker in India last fiscal, BMW is now gearing up to introduce its small car Mini for Indian roads in 2012. Even before the ramifications of the move could be felt, Audi has announced that it aims to become the number one luxury car maker in India by 2015. According to Audi India head Michael Perschke, the company would achieve the target by introducing products with cutting-edge technologies.

At the Auto Expo next month, Audi would be showcasing two new products to catch consumer eyeballs — Audi A3 (a budget sports sedan which could be the cheapest offering from the company till date) and the S6 (a stylised luxury limousine).