Following the launch of the ninth-generation Audi A4, the management of Audi Malaysia revealed their immediate plans going forward. In an effort to widen their presence here, Audi’s expansion will begin with appointing more dealers, three of which will be fully operational by the end of this year.
These new dealerships are located at Puchong (Setia Walk, formerly a Volkswagen showroom), Ipoh and Melaka. There are also concrete plans to introduce the facelifted A3, all-new Q2 and A5 Sportback (that’s the four door; the coupe might not make it) in 2017.
Prior to this, Audi’s halo car, the first-generation Audi R8 was officially sold through Euromobil Sdn Bhd. Now it’s just a matter of time before we get the second generation V10 model. Joining the performance lineup are some S and RS models, although Audi Malaysia has yet to name exactly which. If we were to guess, it would likely be the S4, S5, S6 and quite possibly the TT RS.
This expansion plan, despite the slow pace, will hopefully be the cure to the Four Rings’ Achilles heel – the lack of a dedicated local assembly facility. Currently, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are at the top of the country’s luxury volume game, with Audi trailing far behind in terms of sheer numbers.
Setting up a CKD plant requires a huge sum of money. To justify the investment, a company must first be able to provide a reasonable return on investment (ROI), among other criteria. Audi Malaysia’s Marketing Director, Rudi Venter said there are existing talks between them and Audi AG for local assembly. Though the timeline isn’t particularly clear, Mr Venter specifically said “within the next two years”. Four core models will be CKD, but they remain unidentified for now. Chances are, the A4 and A6 will be among the four.
IMAGE GALLERY
Audi RS3 & RS7
Audi A4 B9 2.0 TFSI
Audi R8 V10 Plus
