KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 — Audi Malaysia today introduced its latest upgraded Audi A6 variants to battle in the highly contested premium mid-sized sedan segment now being held by the BMW and Mercedes-Benz brands.

On a global basis, Audi’s year-to-date deliveries has grown more than 100 percent in the last ten years, from 422,000 units in 2005, growing steadily to 902,000 for YTD June 2015. Global YTD June sales numbers indicate that Audi is a second to BMW which has delivered 932,000 units, while Mercedes-Benz is in third position just 4,000 units behind at 898,000 units.

In Germany, the A6 has the highest unit sales against the E Class and the 5 Series from 2012 to date.  Although Audi is not doing as well as the other two brands in Malaysia, Immo Buschmann, Managing Director of Audi Malaysia is looking forward to improve Audi’s share through various undisclosed plans which include infrastructure and network strengthening and of course the introduction of new models.

When asked about local assembly, Buschmann stated that a CKD operation in Malaysia is not on Audi Malaysia’s radar at the moment; however, if demands picks up, it will be considered in the future.

One of the more obvious actions taken by Audi Malaysia is the astute pricing strategy, which sees the new Audi A6 priced very competitively despite the variants being CBU (fully imported units.

A quick look at the wheelbase is a good indication of the size and interior capacity: the A6 has a 2,912mm wheelbase that is longer than that of the E Class at 2,874mm, which puts the A6 as roomier than the E Class, and shorter than the BMW F10 5 Series, which has a wheelbase of 2,968mm.

Size price-wise, the Audi A6 1.8 TFSI has a distinct advantage over its fellow German competitors, plus a more powerful engine. This is food for thought! 

The new Audi A6 is available with two engine options; the base model sports a new 1.8 litre turbocharged engine that is even more powerful than its 2.0 litre predecessor, but is more frugal on fuel.

The other variant carries an improved 3.0 litre supercharged V6. The 1.8 litre packs 190 horsepower and 320Nm of torque, accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds, and achieves a top speed of 233 km/h, while the 3.0 litre variant develops 333 horsepower and a maximum torque of 440Nm, accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds.

Fuel consumption is also excellent, being 5.7 litres per 100 km and 7.4 litres per 100 km respectively.  As usual, the A6 engines are mounted longitudinally to cater for Audi’s all-wheel-drive quattro system, and drive to the wheels is through a 7-speed S tronic auto transmission; this transmission is similar to a Direct Clutch or Dual Clutch system. The 1.8 litre engine variant gets front-wheel-drive while the 3.0 litre engine variant comes with quattro.

Lightweight construction using a combination of steel and aluminium, keeps the weight of the A6 down to 1,535 kg, and Audi maintains what the company believes to be the perfect ratio of 40:60 front/rear weight distribution. Using this front/rear weight distribution, it is believed that quattro works best, doing away with the inherent weaknesses of both front wheel drive and rear wheel drive.

The interior follows the Audi tradition of being superbly appointed, with ambient lighting, and illuminated switches. A thoughtful feature is the rear 60:40 split and folding seats which is difficult to find nowadays in the premium sedans. Both variants have high safety features, with the 3.0 litre variant getting somewhat more, including multiple LED headlamp clusters that sense oncoming cars or cars ahead, and dim or turn off some of the LEDS so that others are not dazzled. There is also the option of the A6 becoming a mobile hotspot via a SIM card attached to the navigation system, with connectivity to Google Earth for pinpoint navigation.

Retail price for the Audi A6 1.8 TFSI is RM324,900.00, while the A6 3.0 TFSI, depending on accessories and options, is promised to be below RM500,000. The A6 is available in 13 colour selections, and is open for booking at all Audi showrooms nationwide starting from today.