In what can be termed as a major move to address electric vehicle range anxiety among Indian consumers, luxury carmaker Audi India is all set to introduce its Audi Q8 e-tron with a 20 per cent jump in its battery pack.
The car that will be launched in August will have a battery pack of 114 kWh and will provide a range of 582 km on its SUV and 600 km on the Sportback.
“We have incorporated the feedback that we received from the consumers. The battery power is now taken up from 95 kWh to 114 kWh and most of this will be used for increasing the mileage of the car that is in one full charge. The car can be charged as high as 170 kWh and can go from 0 to 80 per cent charge in less than 30 minutes. We have prepared a decent volume plan for Q8 e-tron and are well placed to deliver volumes in India,” Balbir Singh Dhillon, Head of Audi India told Businessline.
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“Range in electric vehicles is something that we are working on constantly. A range of 600 km is good enough to use within the city and intercity as there has to be a certain threshold. Future electric vehicle products depend on the profile of the car but 600 km will be enough for the customers who have been apprehensive of using the car intercity and considering it as a primary car,” he said.
The company is anticipating 4 million car sales in the Indian automotive industry this year.
Changing demographics
The German luxury carmaker has witnessed a 40 per cent growth in sales of its cars from consumers below the age of 40.
“In the last 5 to 10 years we were selling majorly to the business community. That meant the age by the time the customers were buying the cars was higher. This is reducing over some time and a lot of startups today are successful and many of them are unicorns. In the coming years this will become stronger and a larger percentage will be less than 40,” said Balbir.
Tesla India arrival
While the discussions of Tesla operating on Indian roads are going on, Audi is anticipating growth in the e-mobility space in India with its arrival.
“For electric mobility to be successful the infrastructure has to become very strong and the charging infrastructure will improve. I do not see them as competition as they will add value to the ecosystem,” added Balbir.