Audi electric cars sold in India to get much cheaper: Here’s why

Premium automobile manufacturer Audi is evaluating the possibility of assembling their electric vehicles in India. Indian market’s response to electric vehicles has been overwhelming. Audi currently has two electric vehicles in the Indian market. There is an e-Tron electric SUV and e-Tron GT. The first batch of both the vehicles is already sold out and even the second batch is sold out for January 2022. Audi is already accepting bookings for the rest of 2022.

Currently, the e-Tron SUV and e-Tron GT are being imported to India as CBU or Completely Build Units. Because of this, the import duties are very high and the prices increase significantly. Audi is evaluating local assembly of both these vehicles which would help in decreasing their prices but they say that it would not be possible without the support of the government.

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Balbir Singh Dhillon, Audi India Head said, “The response for EVs has been unprecedented. Cars however still come with over 60-110% (import duty). We will be requesting the government if they could give us a window of 3-5 years of tax sops, which will allow us to create a decent scale and explore localisation. If we have to make these products in India, it will call for investment.”

Audi e-Tron

Audi e-Tron is an electric SUV with a starting price of Rs. 99.99 lakhs ex-showroom for the base 50 variant. Then there is the 55 variant which is priced at Rs. 1.17 Crores ex-showroom and the top-end variant is the 55 Sportback that costs Rs. 1.18 Crores ex-showroom. All the variants come with a dual-motor setup so there is a motor on the front axle and a motor on the rear axle. This makes Audi e-Tron an all-wheel-drive setup. Audi E-Tron competes against the Jaguar I-Pace and Mercedes-Benz EQC.

There are two battery packs on offer. The smaller battery produces 312 PS of max power and 540 Nm of peak torque. It is a 71 kWh battery pack and supports fast DC charging up to 120 kW. It has a claimed WLTP driving range of 264-379 km.

Then there is the more powerful 95 kWh battery that is able to produce 360 PS of max power and 561 Nm of peak torque. In boost the power is bumped to 408 PS and torque is increased to 664 Nm. The battery can be charged in 8.5 hours if you use an 11 kW AC home charger and it supports DC fast-charging up to 150 kW. It has a claimed WLTP driving range of 359-484 km.

Audi e-Tron GT

Audi e-Tron GT is a four-door electric sports car.  It is sold in two trims. There is an e-Tron GT which costs Rs. 1.79 Crores ex-showroom and RS e-Tron GT priced at Rs. 2.04 Crores ex-showroom. The driving range of both vehicles is 500 km according to the WLTP cycle. Both get a 93kWh battery pack. However, the power figures are different.

The regular version produces 476 PS of max power and 630 Nm of peak torque. During Launch Control, the power is bumped to 530 PS and torque is increased to 640 Nm. This only lasts for 2.5 seconds. The RS e-Tron GT produces 598 PS and 830 Nm. During launch control, the power is increased to 646 PS. Audi e-Tron GT competes against the recently launched Porsche Taycan.

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