Michael Perschke in Mumbai on Thursday. (AFP)

Mumbai, May 3: Audi India today rolled out the new Audi 4 — its longest-selling sedan — at a price of Rs 27.33 lakh (ex-showroom, Maharashtra).

The sporty and stylish model is expected to appeal to young car aficionados. Audi has sold more than 100 million A4 vehicles worldwide since 1972, making it the most successful model in the Audi fold.

Michael Perschke, head of Audi India, said the car maker planned to increase the capacity at its Aurangabad plant in Maharashtra by 50 per cent to 9,000 vehicles by the end of 2012. It can now make 6,000 cars a year at the plant.

Perschke was confident that with the introduction of the new A4 and the Audi TT — and the arrival of the Audi Q3 in June — the car maker would grab the pole position in India’s premium car market.

Audi is second in the pecking order behind BMW and ahead of Daimler AG’s Mercedes Benz.

Audi sold just over 5,500 cars in India in 2011 and aims to sell 8,000 cars in the current calendar year. It hopes to outsell BMW and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz brand in the Indian premium car market.

Audi is betting that the A4 will account for a big slice of the 8,000 vehicles it sells this year.

In April, the car maker sold 562 cars, a growth of 50 per cent over the same period last year.

The company is looking to expand its network of 25 dealerships by the end of 2012 from its 18 centres at present.

“We plan to roll out five to six models, including the S6, which is expected to hit the market around the festive season,” Peschke added.

The new look Audi A4 accentuates the horizontal lines at the front end.

The engine hood is more arched, the upper corners of the single frame grille are tapered and the cross ribs and Audi rings are highlighted three dimensionally.

Fuel efficiency will be its strong selling point. On an average, the car maker claims the fuel efficiency of the new A4 has improved by 10 per cent.

The 1.8 TFSI engine offers a fuel efficiency of 15.64 km per litre — a 25 per cent improvement over its predecessor. The 2 litre TDI offers an efficiency of 16.55 km per litre.

The new A4 will be the first Audi that offers the fully integrated Audi Car Life product, which combines financing, service plan, insurance and extended warranty. The benefits under Audi Car Life will eventually be extended to the A6, A8, Audi Q5 and the Audi Q7.