Audi India launches online sales initiative amid coronavirus pandemic

German luxury carmaker Audi on Monday said it has introduced online sales and service initiative in India in order to enable customers book vehicles from their homes as coronavirus pandemic rages on.

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The company, which considers digitalisation as a key focus area, has integrated its entire sales network to enable customers to book new vehicles or get vehicles booked for service from home.

Audi India Head Balbir Singh Dhillon said the company has been at the forefront of enabling and introducing future technologies for customers – including augmented and virtual reality elements.

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"Taking this digitalisation strategy a step forward, we are pleased to announce digital sales for our product portfolio and after-sales support for our existing and future customers," he added.

Audi buyers can now familiarise themselves with features, configure their vehicle, explore finance options, and place an order, all from their homes.

The company had been preparing to launch the online initiative in the third quarter, but the ongoing coronavirus pandemic led it to pre-pone the launch to the second quarter, Dhillon said.

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"This is the need of the hour and it is important that we give this freedom to our customer to look and feel the car sitting at their homes," he said.

He, however, added that even with online facility available, customers would still like to physically touch and feel the car because of the high purchase cost involved.

"So, if any customer wants to touch and feel the car, he can do that before finalising the purchase. But if anyone wants a complete contactless process, that is also possible," Dhillon noted.

Audi India currently has 36 sales touch points across the country.

The company's main rivals in India, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, have already announced online sales initiatives.

Automakers like Hyundai, Volkswagen, Mahindra and Honda Cars have also announced online sales platforms in the last few days.