By-Nidhi Kumari

For a suave, luxurious and comfortable car, Audi Q7 makes for an ideal Sports Utility Vehicle. Equipped with a powerful engine, elegant design and innovative technology, Audi Q7 is apt for a perfect drive.

The exterior has an athletic outlook with precise edges giving it a bold, confident and powerful look. The interior is spacious and having a calm ambiance as the exterior noise hardly pierces through the interior. It is furnished with a virtual cockpit that lets you view relevant information along with MMI navigation which is displayed on an 8.3 inches screen. The use of advanced technology lets you drive hassle free with a relaxed mind.

Safer drive systems that endow Audi Q7 are fuel efficient and good for a long distance comfort. This redesigned model having an improved steering response is certainly sporty and will give you an enjoyable drive. Indus Age caught up with Praveen Devarajan – General Manager, General Manger, Audi  Pennant Hills part of the Alto Group who gave us a detailed insight on Audi Q7. Excerpts:

1. Audi comes under the umbrella of one of those luxurious cars. What’s so captivating about this brand?

Audi stands for Vorsprung Durch Technik meaning advancement through progressive technology. While we have an extensive and desirable product offering the luxury and quality expectation of the brand is emphasized through our people, showrooms, guest experience and quality in business practices. We constantly strive for continuous improvement and listen to our customers’ needs and feedback to be innovative and add value in what we do to give us the competitive edge.

2. The new Audi Q7 that has been launched in Australia has acquired appreciation and admiration from the critics. What do you have to say on that?

The Q7 is a fantastic offering with a host of class leading safety and innovative technology features this car is a quantum leap from its predecessor. It is a compelling proposition for anyone in the market for a luxury SUV.

3. The S line exterior of Q7 gives the car an athletic and dynamic look. What would you like to say?

The styling in the new Q7 is again a big jump from the previous model even in standard guise.  Features like body colored bumpers and 19” Wheels, Sat Nav, Comfort Key, Keyless entry, memory seat, electrically folding 3^rd row seat, Virtual Dashboard all standard now. The S Line options beefs up the car with bigger wheels, S Line Exterior Elements, door sills, LED headlights and dynamic rear indicators.  The S Line pack certainly elevates the visual appeal on the outside.

4. What are your comments with reference to safety, comfort, technology that has been used in the newly launched model?

Safety is the one of the key elements of what Audi stands for. The Quattro All Wheel Drive technology underpins the brand and is one of our Unique Selling Point. In addition the New Q7 features a host of standard safety feature such as seat belt reminders for all passengers, blind spot monitors, the car can apply autonomous brakes in an emergency situation, it can stop from reversing if the radars sense an incoming car and flash warning lights if any of the doors are about to open onto incoming traffic or pedestrians. There are packages which provide additional safety feature on top as well in form of traffic jam assist, adaptive cruise control, lane assist, collision and turn assist.

5. The engine in the Q7 model is said to be fuel efficient and good enough for a long distance drive. Tell us something about it.

The new motor has a fuel economy of 5.7 Ltr/100kms which is significant improvement when you bear in mind the vehicle weighs in just under 3 Tonne . For the first time in the Q7 Audi has incorporate Audi Ultra technology where 41% of the vehicle is made up of reinforced Aluminum which was previous only available in their race bred R8. The vehicle also features the drive select function which allows the driver to change the characteristic of the car to produce better fuel economy, dynamic drive or just let the car pick it for you depending on your driving style.

6. How is Audi Q7 different from the previous version of Audi?

The new car is a whole new platform. Its 240 kilos lighter, smaller on the outside but offers more legroom, headroom and shoulder room than its predecessor. The turning circle has been reduced by a whole 1 meter. With the optional all wheel steering function the turning circle is smaller than that of the Q3 our smallest SUV.

7. With intense competition in the market, what strategies do you pursue so as penetrate in the market and have your presence felt?

The vehicle replaces a 9 year old model therefore the experience that this car offer to existing Q7 owners is exceptional and will sell itself. The challenge really is acquiring conquest business from other competitor brands. In partnership with Audi Australia we organize a host of events to showcase our products. In recent times we flew our VIP customers to Mt.Hotham in Victoria toexperience driving the Q7 on ice, Audi Race Days and lifestyle events such as Sydney Theater Company, Hamilton Island Race Week and more. We combine this is with an always on campaign where we have a strong retail campaign every month of the year. In addition we align our self with the community events and activities in our local area to be front of mind of our customers and prospective future clients.

8. Tell us about the Car Finance options.

We are backed by Audi Finance. The packages which we offer are competitive, unique and tailored to meet the needs of our customers. Audi Choice is our latest offering where we can guarantee the future value of new cars upto 4 years or 100,000 kms. In

addition to offering the peace of mind of knowing what your car is worth at the end of the term Audi Choice offers you the privilege of just handing the keys back for your old car and walking away or upgrade to a new one on completion of the funding arrangement.