Audi Drives in With Lifestyle Services for Indian Buyers

German luxury carmaker Audi is gearing up to become a service provider as well, offering a host of premium lifestyle services to its customers in India, according to a top official of the firm.

The company, under its 2025 strategy of focussing on customer-centricity besides enhancing product portfolio and sales and service network in the Indian market, is working to develop further on the concierge services that it offers to its car buyers.

"We are a car company at this point of time at least, moving forward obviously from a car company we will probably become a service provider. That's the way to go," Audi India Head Balbir Singh Dhillon told media.

Elaborating on the plan, he said at present there are around 75,000 Audi owners in India who have purchased car priced above Rs 30-40 lakh and the data of these customers will help it devise ways to further interact with them and offer what they want.

"So when we move from a carmaker to a service provider there are so many things in your life as an Audi customer which you need on a day-to-day basis. We are evaluating, working on how do we reach your home more than by just selling the car and providing aftersales services," he said.

For instance, Dhillon said through the concierge services available on the company's app, an Audi owner can seek help in booking a restaurant, ordering a bouquet, or even plan to watch mega sporting events like Wimbledon.

"It is an extension of the services that we are offering slowly...Basically from car to personal lifestyle that you need. For instance, let's say you need to buy very exclusive clothing, we may suggest you where do you stitch your clothing. These are all services which are offered as of now as a gesture of goodwill but this could become a profit centre for the time to come," he said.

Luxury accessories that the company sells to Audi customers, "in the times to come could be co-branded with another brand", he said adding, these are the new territories which the company will experiment with.

Dhillon further said, "At this point of time where we will reach in three to five years, I don't know but are we going in that direction? The answer is yes. It is a little bit unknown waters.