An Oman-based NRI Sameet Sampat will be in-charge of the company’s vehicle sales in the western Indian markets.
Audi looks at honchos to set up network

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 17, 2004
TNN

It’s a strategy tailor-made for Asia’s second fastest growing car market called India. As its entry plan for the market, Audi has decided to court leading Indian corporate honchos — like Amit Burman of Dabur and Jubilant Corp’s Shyam & Hari Bhartia — for establishing a retail network across India.

While Burman will manage the German luxury car maker’s vehicle import, distribution and sales in north India, Jubilant will be the firm’s face for the southern markets, Audi India country manager Sunil Kaul told The Times of India. An Oman-based NRI Sameet Sampat will be in-charge of the company’s vehicle sales in the western Indian markets. Sampat is a leading distributor of consumer goods in Oman, and is also understood to have some interests in the Marico group.

"We were looking for people who know and understand the brand and who will be in the business of selling an experience and not just cars. So we chose Burman, Bhartias and Sampat as our retail faces for India," Kaul said. "They belong to families that almost every Indian knows. That will help us establish the Audi brand in India," he added.

The Volkswagen group firm, through these dealerships, has started booking orders for selling its cars — A6 and TT Coupe. The TT Coupe will sport a tag of Rs 32 lakh while the A6 will be priced at Rs 35 lakh. The TT Coupe will be offered in two variants — 1.8 T and the all-road 2.5 TDI.

At a later stage, Audi also intends introducing its entry-level A4 and the top-end S4 models in India.

Audi, Kaul said, is looking strategically into the future and putting its money on India. "The luxury car market in India has tripled in the last five years. With this dealer network in India, Audi is betting on the market of the future."

Audi is banking its projected growth in India on a two-pronged strategy. In the first phase, it will build and spread awareness and brand image amongst its target audience through the retail network. In the next phase, the firm intends to establish an assembly unit in India for locally producing its cars.